Chapter Four
Severus felt like he was entering the kingdom of childhood when he passed through the archway of platform 9 3/4. The whistle of the steam engine pierced his thoughts and he felt it in the marrow of his bones.
The platform was crowded, the milling throngs of frantic parental cosseting and juvenile cavorting ecstatic to be escaping the shackles of familial surveillance blended with the sounds of owls flapping and hooting, thumps of improperly charmed luggage and the gasps of awe from those entering from the non-magical gate.
The Hogwarts Express gleamed proudly red, freshly painted for its annual launch of a new batch of initiates to the Alma Mater Studiorum. Sometimes Severus wondered cynically if the colour was chosen intentionally for its subliminal messaging.
He weaved through the crowd with ease having shrunk his trunk earlier and deposited it in his mokeskin pouch.
He stepped aboard and made his way along the train being careful to fix his face in a reasonably pleasant expression and acknowledge the children he met along the way while moving as though he had somewhere to be to discourage conversation. Eventually he found a compartment at the back of the train, it was a slightly smaller compartment than the others which made it more likely he'd be able to retain his privacy.
He's nervous he realises, although having lived the life he has it is ironic that the thought of being surrounded by children again can induce true anxiety in him. He's always felt safest in dark corners. He takes the seat closest to the window where he has his back to a wall on two sides and a clear view of the only entrance to the compartment.
He recognises some of the faces populating the platform, not as many as he would like. He had been an unsociable child to begin with and of course many had either faded into irrelevancy for him or had been deceased before the interim of the wars. How many of his generation had been left standing by that last battle at Hogwarts, how many faces left of his graduating class.
He has the window open against the central London heat although the air is not refreshing. It must be going to his head because he has the sudden wild childish urge to mark his presence. He finds himself kneeling on the floor dignity cast asunder carving his initials into the bench. STS, the letters come out sharp and jagged next to someone with the initials TMR who had irritatingly managed to get the curve of their R to come out quite elegantly.
The train jolts as it pulls away from the station, he hadn't noticed the time it's not like he had anyone to wave to.
He pulled a book out of his satchel, a treatise on the uses and preparations of florae in medicinal remedies and settled in for the ride, bunching up his sweater to use as a cushion. Eventually he's lulled into a nap by the trundle of the rails on the track and the warmth of the sun on the window.
They've reached the glorious stretch of open coastline off Northumberland when his sleep is interrupted.
"Shhh!" It's loud. The most pantomime kind of stage whispers that children are prone to. There's a lot of juvenile twittering going on and his stomach just sinks in exasperation.
"You'll wake him up" Oh no. Oh come on… more snickering. It's higher pitched but he recognises that voice and has to throttle the urge to leap at them and hex first.
"Guys I'm really not sure about this" Well done Lupin demonstrate the moral ineffectitude and hand wringing you're so good at.
"Stop being such a wet blouse Rem it'll be funny" Whatever they were planning Severus was absolutely certain he would not find amusing but he continued to feign sleep.
"Yeah, what's Billy no mates gonna do about it anyway. He's sleeping, he won't even know it was us. Just grab his bag Pete. You have to if you want to be part of the gang. If you're too chicken you won't be in Gryffindor like we're gonna be!"
He was filled with such a visceral rush of loathing that it was like a physical thing churning in his belly. What the fuck was he supposed to do to get some peace? But now he'd heard part of their plan he was tempted to let it go ahead. Enough rope and all that.
"How'd you know what house you're gonna be in anyway." Peter muttered under his breath.
"Pete either get on with it or let's go." Black's overly patrician tones irritated his skin like bleach.
Peter did grab his bag he felt the weight of it shift and sat up abruptly as their footsteps fled away accompanied by high adrenaline laughter.
At least it wasn't his shoes.
He didn't think they'd manage to do any actual damage just throw it somewhere so he'd look like a loser frantically looking for it.
He gave them quite a few minutes head start before tracking down his possessions. His bag was in the toilet miserable and unsanitary. Called it. They'd tried to get into it clearly but hadn't managed as it was set only to open for him. The strap was showing some wear and tear but nothing serious. Which is why he hadn't retaliated as he'd like to, he might fucking hate the bastards with the fire of a thousand suns but could not afford the reputation he would gain if he hexed the living shit out of them and allowed them to claim public perceptions as sympathetic victims.
He retrieved his bag and wandered past a few compartments looking for an upper year Hufflepuff this was stuff he could fix himself obviously but the average firstie wouldn't, he certainly would have been too ashamed to ask for help his first year and it wouldn't hurt his cause to establish an alibi that it hadn't been him who started it.
….
It was brilliant. This would banish his boggart for years to come.
They were blue.
ALL their visible skin, like a lawn of smurfs.
And Minerva was fuming. A tartan goddess of justice descending from on high. Severus was having to bite his lip so hard not to laugh.
"My days gentlemen! Before you've even stepped off the train."
Ok, so he might have been a touch overzealous in his protection charms but it was entirely their own fault as they'd clearly kept trying to get into his bag. Lupin who had more sense only had blue fingers and the tip of his nose although he looked shamefully downtrodden next to Peters vibrating anxiety and the sullen attitude of the two bigger boys.
"Mr Snape. Am I given to understand you have the counter for this? Mr Snape?" She looked over the first years in front of her searching for him, her lips were thin and pale and he could tell she was vexed as she had already tried the standards. Which wouldn't work, he didn't want people to be rid of the evidence too easily.
He stepped forward. "No ma'am, it should wear off in an hour or so though. If they'd wanted to borrow something they should have just asked I wouldn't have minded." He shrugged insouciantly. All lies of course, he wouldn't give them anything more pleasant than a fork in the eye not willingly.
"Hmmph" She still looked disapproving but hadn't reprimanded him having probably been apprised of the situation by the Hufflepuff prefect. "Well there's nothing to be done for it just now then boys."
"But he used dark magic!" That was Potter. Predictably. Severus thought he might strain an eye muscle trying not to roll them. He wasn't the only one from what he could see. Some of his more gullible peers looked at him askance at the mention of dark magic but it was quite clear that Potter and minions were caught blue handed but otherwise unharmed. Not guilty.
He was studiously avoiding looking for a certain redhead.
"Mr Potter! I've never heard the like. Those kind of accusations are not to be bandied about lightly." She said in an extremely clipped Scottish brogue. Too bloody right but she'd be hearing plenty more of his nonsense over the next few years. At least this time Potter hadn't been able to set him up as a scapegoat for his pathological lies. It was patently obvious what had happened and Severus hadn't given in to the urge to hex back harder.
The offence in question had also been rather tame for them if entirely unoriginal. Severus hadn't antagonised the entitled shits, puffed up and desperate not to look lesser in front of Lily. If he could have grabbed hold of his younger self in that moment knowing what he did about how that first meeting would shape their interactions for years to come he would have taken him by the scruff of the neck and shaken him with the knowledge of how abjectly miserable those arseholes would make him.
Potter and Black were glaring at him and Peter was doing something that looked more like a myopic squint of mild constipation but might have been an attempt at an intimidating scowl. Lupin was still looking at his feet. Severus purposefully kept his face tuned to 'mildly aggrieved innocent party' though inside he was feeling a petty frisson of glee at getting one up on the smug gits.
"That's quite enough of that. First years line up and follow me, chop chop."
Stepping into the great hall felt like coming home. There was a warmth in Hogwarts magic that reached for him and connected with his core. The crash of sound from the student body waiting in the hall washed over him and it was just as well the other children around him were gawping too as his jaw had fallen open with surprise at the sensation.
She was magnificent.
It wasn't a full connection with the wards the like a current headmaster would hold but her great walls of stone remembered his oaths and greeted him fondly.
He let his gaze wander over the wide arches of pale stone vanishing heavenward into the charmed ceiling, the starry night sky peppered with suspended flickering candlelight. The great hearths suffusing the air with the scent of woodsmoke and warming the flagstones underfoot, heating the flushed faces of the students chittering excitedly with the intrigue of their vacations under proud house banners. The delicate high arch of stained glass windows, sepulchral in essence watching over them. The memorial wall at the far end of the hall, panels clad in rich wood and engraved with the names of alumni.
His name would be up there one day, as surely as he had carved it on the Hogwarts Express.
He sees Albus holding court on his throne at the high table and lets the lake of his Occlumency freeze over solid, sending a small shiver through his body despite the heat of the hall. He wants to scream with the tide of resentment no matter what I did I always did disgust you am I not human too and grief and humiliation I let myself believe you cared about me and fury raised like a pig for slaughter you PROMISEDYOUWOULDKEEPHERSAFE that is ripping its way up his oesophagus with the unfairness of it all, he's so disappointed in the man. But he was prepared for this so it manifested as cold anger, simmering rather than explosive.
He hastily tamped down on the feeling, thrusting those emotions under the cool of the lake in his mind. Probably would have struggled more if he wasn't slightly high on Hogwarts magic soothing him enough that he can detach from it all no matter how prepared he was. He would need to meditate tonight when he got to the dorms.
He looks away allowing his eyes to unfocus slightly not willing to allow Dumbledore to consume this experience for him and continues on down the staff roster, there are familiar faces unmarred by time dotted here and there. Filius of course is an institution to himself. A skilled duellist rumoured to have been heavily involved in the Grindewald Wars his moustache is tamer these days.
Minerva looks very young to him, the lines on her face not yet so heavily drawn, grey not yet threading through her hair. She's been teaching long enough to have developed that air of unquestioned authority, a confident educator but not so long that it has begun to wear her down, only a decade and change he thinks. It will take some getting used to her being his Professor again and not a colleague of many years. He pushes away the pang of bitterness that arises in him that she of all people hadn't seen through Albus' schemes.
Poppy is barely recognisable in her white nurses cap and mint green apprentice robes. Hair pulled neatly back and smiling wryly as she talks with Healer Harper beside her. She had been very young when he started Hogwarts, had nursed him through many of the worst incidences of bullying where he hadn't been able to handle his care himself and had kept doing so when he returned as an adult. She had known him perhaps best of all the staff and if she had her suspicions of his true allegiance in that last awful year she had been circumspect and kept them to herself. Had still trusted him with the hospital wing stocks.
Pomona hasn't started teaching yet, in her usual seat is the ineffable Herbert Beery a stout man with rosy cheeks, thread veined from too much time outside in the sun and a fondness for dark ale. He was singlehandedly responsible for the lack of a theatre department rumour told after an 'incident' with a production of The Fountain of Fair Fortune in which two of the participants had started a duel over the affections of a third that had resulted in a serious fire.
There were some faces he wasn't as certain of. As he had become more proficient in the mind arts his memories were stored more clearly and he had developed the functional equivalent of an eidetic memory, much as he had had many more memories he would prefer not to have, but the ones of his early days at school were not as clear, hadn't been catalogued with as much attention to detail. Barbour, Barton…Berkely? He wasn't sure, anyway he was a stern faced man in deep purple and grey pinstriped robes and lilac waistcoat that seemed too frivolous a clothing choice for someone of his complexion. Severus remembered he taught arithmancy before the more aptly named Septima Vector had taken over the department.
Professor Barker or whatever he was called was in deep conversation with Kettleburn to his right and Slughorn to his left, the latter of whom was rubbing his palms together jovially and taking bets on the sorting of the incoming first years with all the subtlety of an erumpent in mating season.
"When I call your name come forward, sit on the stool and try on the hat." Minerva's crisp Scottish brogue rang out into the hall.
"AUBREY, Bertram" a mousey haired, lanky boy all elbows and knees was the first called and was swiftly sorted to Hufflepuff to Beery's cheer and enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
"AVERY, Aiden" with his rather pointy nose and chin typical of certain branches of purebloods was sorted into the house of green and silver fairly quickly; long enough under the hat that there must have been some deliberation but not long enough to cause consternation for his parents in the reports they would likely hear. Severus' memories of him were coloured by the man he had become but he had some lingering affection for the boy he had shared a dorm with for seven years though they had grown apart after. He had had a wicked sense of humour that Severus had appreciated.
When Black, Sirius was called he bounded up to the dais waving at the seated students. Black's parents should have sent him to W.A.D.A he wondered how much less nonsense the student body would have had to put up with from him if he'd been allowed to jump on a stage every now and then and shout TADA! Complete with jazz hands. Maybe he could persuade Beery that the risk assessments were worth it.
He watched as the boy took a sweeping bow, sorting hat in hand then presented it to Professor McGonagall with a cheeky wink not perturbed at all by his current colouring or her earlier reprimands. He was watching for it and saw in her face the first stirrings of the fond indulgence that would cause her to write off many of Black's transgressions as youthful high spirits.
There was thunderous applause from the Gryffindor table, and silent recrimination from Slytherin with the exception of Slughorn who was quite clearly delighted by Blacks antics and found him thoroughly entertaining, as usual being somewhat tone deaf to the currents of the room and more importantly of his house.
While the sorting continued Severus looked out over the hall his eyes drawn to Slytherin table cataloging familiar faces. Lucius stood out of course with his hair so blond. He still wore it short, it wasn't traditional for men to grow it out until they were married, as fifth year prefect he hadn't quite reached his eventual full stature yet and was still quite narrow across the shoulder. He was paying close attention to the incoming crop of students and was making an admirable attempt at looking regally magnanimous to those joining the Slytherin table.
The Black sisters Andromeda and Narcissa were sat a distance apart both holding court with their respective years, though both looked displeased with Blacks sorting Narcissa's face held a quiet steel. No Bella thankfully she had already graduated the year previous or she would have been insufferable.
He watched as "EVANS, Lily" was called up and looked at her properly for the first time since he had returned to the past. She shone. She hid her nerves quite well and her shoulders had a set of determination to them. Good for her. The hat called Gryffindor and he wondered wistfully how he could have ever thought she would be anything else.
"FAWLEY, Cressida and GUDGEON, Davey" went to Hufflepuff. "FORTESQUE, Alice" to Gryffindor.
Gods she was an absolute menace, popping gum with a loud snap in faux nonchalance as she approached the dais to Minerva's visible disapproval. Her short brown hair swinging above her shoulders with the bounce in her step. He'd never understood why people had chosen to remember her as some insipid madonna and it had infuriated him to see Longbottom gibbering about like a flobberworm where 'Malice' would have flipped him the V and cheerfully taken her detention. She had never liked him but he had quietly admired how upfront she was in her irrational dislike.
If he remembered correctly his year was one that was quite heavily weighted Gryffindor/Slytherin, more so than usual although Ravenclaw was always the smallest house, there had only been a couple of girls sent there so far as it wasn't about being studious as was often stereotyped, that more often came from the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins. Ravenclaws tended to have a more latitudinal way of thinking about things.
Looking to his side he saw Lupin was shuffling on the spot looking very pale, and he jumped with shock when his name was called. He was probably one of those children who worry they won't be sorted, there are a few every year. He's learnt to spot it, that insecurity. Serves him right, special treatment from the Headmaster to keep his condition secret and allow him to attend Hogwarts illegally which put other students at risk and he'd already been caught stealing. How tragically embarrassing. Funnily enough he had seen far worse things since in his life but the nightmares of that night in the shack still leave him covered in the sheen of a cold sweat of fear. As a human being all he had ever been able to drum up for the wolf was contempt which he admitted if only to himself was tinged with jealousy that the wolf had been so easily accepted.
It took a very long time for him to be sorted unlike last time when it had seemed a relatively forgone conclusion. Eventually the brim of the hat opened wide and shouted…..GRYFFINDOR!
Disappointing. He had hoped for the groups separation for a moment there. He might have use for the wolf after all though. He was rather easily led and was the most tolerable of the marauders. A new plan began to percolate in Severus' brain. He already had prime blackmail material on him and could use a test subject. He would try to cultivate a relationship first, have Lupin indebted to him rather than the witless wonders.
MacDonald, Mary, Mayweather, Pandora and McKinnon, Marlene, were called next. A succession of fair headed girls two of whom went to Gryffindor and would be rooming with Lily. The third, Pandora went to Ravenclaw he hadn't known her particularly well, only really by reputation, as she had, like many of their generation died tragically young though not in battle. Her daughter Luna had inherited her flair for experimentation and insightful creativity and had privately been one of his favourite students. Unfortunately she had also picked up many of her father eccentricities which had made it rather difficult to take her seriously and she had openly been friends with Potters crew of motley misfits which meant he had to treat her publicly with disdain which he would have preferred not to.
Mulciber went to Slytherin again, a deceptively innocent looking boy with light brown corkscrew curls, blue eyes and a cheeky smile Severus would keep a watch on him. He had been a favourite of Slughorn's until the incident with MacDonald in their 4th year but Severus had shared a dorm with him and been wary of him long before then, been called mudblood in the privacy of the dorm so many times there had been a period where he had almost been conditioned to it. It had simply been good politics not to antagonise the monster with access to where you slept when you were already being attacked on every other front.
Potter of course went to Gryffindor with a ruffle of his hair along with Pettigrew again, who had scurried along as he was told to and was looking at the other two shiftily and desperate for approval.
"ROSIER, Evan" was straight to Slytherin before the hat even touched his head. He had different colouring but the same bone structure and heavy lidded eyes of the Black sisters. He needn't have bothered to sit on the stool. Severus hadn't remembered this detail but it didn't surprise him. You underestimated Evan Rosier at your peril. He had a talent for putting himself to the left hand of power and more so for manipulating events with aplomb. When finally cornered he had fought to the death to avenge Wilkes who had been felled early in the fight and taken five seasoned aurors and Alastor Moody's left eye with him in his suicide by cop.
It took what felt like forever waiting for his name to be called.
"SMETHWYCK, Hector" went to Ravenclaw the sole boy in their year to do so thus far.
Towards the latter end of the alphabet the crowd are getting antsy, bored, and their minds are far more on their dinner than the moment that will decide his fate of the next seven years. He's not worried about the loud mouthed sorting hat spilling his secrets to Albus, its enchanted not to be able to confide its knowledge of the students to the incumbent headmaster Severus knew.
He misses the billow of his heavier teaching robes and heavily buttoned frock coat, a familiar armour as he crosses the stage to take his place on the wooden stool in front of Minerva feeling the eyes of so many on him again.
As he takes his place and his view of the hall is obscured by the brim of the hat the volume of the hall disappears as well.
"Well, well. What do we have here? This is most unorthodox." The voice was disconcerting to hear inside his mindscape.
"I don't suppose you have any insight?" He thought wryly.
"Fascinating this, I don't often get to see the fruits of my labour" The Hat mused "No I'm afraid not. I would hesitate to speculate. Magic often has its quirks you know. You are the first Hogwarts Headmaster to die violently on school grounds surprisingly enough. She wouldn't have liked that you know she's very fond of you."
How does one stop oneself mentally rolling ones eyes? Severus thought. The mystery of his current predicament could wait, it wasn't precisely an urgent concern just now.
"Slytherin please." He thought firmly. It was what he knew best, was a relatively safe bet. He didn't like many of his housemates per say but he knew the dynamics there and it was an arena he was familiar with working in.
"Now don't be so hasty. You've experienced what they have to teach you once already. It could be quite the experiment." The voice sounded dangerously enthusiastic about its pending social experiment.
"Not Gryffindor. I will set you on fire."
"No need for threats."
"It wasn't. That was a promise." He hissed.
"No not Gryffindor. Albus has very strange ideas sometimes. You are brave, fantastically so when your convictions necessitate those actions, but you lack an element of performative nobility common to those of that house. They tend to be full of high ideals with little appreciation for trivial practicalities. You would not understand each other, communications would be difficult. No not there."
"Hmm" He hummed in agreement wishing they could get a move on. Severus' head was full of mental foot tapping. He felt very exposed with his senses dulled like this and his shields down in public and was eager for the ordeal to be over.
"Fiercely loyal, a force to be reckoned with and a powerful defendant for those you hold close, although that ability to trust has been recently fractured hasn't it. Hufflepuff would have been my second choice for you as a child if you hadn't been quite so burning with ambition but I don't think you would settle well there now. You need your solitude when it all gets a bit much, they would worry about you."
"A truly keen mind as well, and a dry wit which I can see was often disregarded in your previous lifetime. You would be more free to stretch your metaphorical wings without drawing unwelcome attention. You don't have to fight every battle you know and public perception of your house would hinder you in Slytherin. Why Slytherin if I might ask? I stand by my previous decision it was the right place for you at the time to teach you the skills you needed to prosper, you were such a hungry child and it would still suit you now. But I would like to hear."
The hat sounded curious although it must already know the real answer and that Severus was being swayed by the hats logic.
"It's my home."
"Then I'm sorry, I truly am. I understand your concerns, but in order to achieve your goals it had better be…..RAVENCLAW!"
He blew out through his nose, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light again. Well that would certainly change things, it would make it harder for him to see what had changed from his previous recollections and he would still need to make certain alliances within Slytherin he thought. However as a Ravenclaw he would be seen as less of a threat which could be beneficial.
He returned the hat to Minerva politely. He would have to stop calling her that in his head it would be terrible if he slipped and called her Minnie in class. The colouring on his robes bloomed blue and bronze as he made his way over to the long table to widespread clapping.
Smethywick just looked relieved not to be the only Ravenclaw in their year with a y chromosome.
Severus introduced himself to Smethwyck and sat down between him and Pandora Mayweather and politely returned a number of interested whispered greetings.
By the time he returned his attention to the dais and the ongoing sorting Stebbins had been sorted and it continued down the line with Sullivan, Trebane, Urquhart and Vaisey. It wasn't long before they were calling ….."WILKES" as the last first year to be sorted into "SLYTHERIN!".
The Headmasters speech was thankfully short, 'forbidden forest is forbidden blah blah no fireworks indoors blah blah new revolving door defence teacher blah blah' as looking around he could see the glazed stares of polite disinterest before Albus raised his hands, the signal for the house elves to serve.
His mouth was watering. As the years had passed he had become inured to the abundance of Hogwarts meals and had found it increasingly difficult to eat in such a public space. His presence had been a requirement but after the second time Filius had attempted to poison him unsuccessfully he had simply ceased to consume anything outside the privacy of his quarters.
Two years in a Northern mill town he had revived his appreciation for the house elves enthusiasm. He inhaled the smell of succulent roast beef, chicken with lemon and rosemary, Yorkshire pudding, warm bread and steamed vegetables that now surrounded them on the table. This body still had growing to do and informed him of such as his stomach rumbled loudly to his sincere embarrassment.
"Yeah me too, I'm starving!" Smethwyck announced, his eyes laughing at Severus' predicament even as he loaded his plate.
"Pass the potatoes please." Severus lifted the tureen of boiled and buttered potatoes to pass to his right. It was one of those things drummed into him by Narcissa in one of her many attempts to stop him appearing a heathen that one did not pass to your left at the dinner table it was considered uncouth. In Slytherin this would have been one of several convoluted tests to establish rankings. Here he thought it was probably an earnest desire for root vegetables but at this stage it was an ingrained habit to be suspicious.
Beside him Mayweather was choosing the exact slice of roast beef she wanted, discerningly picking through them with delicate movements.
"So is this what you expected?" She said without looking up.
"Mhmm." He nodded finishing his mouthful. "My mothers family were all either Ravenclaw or Slytherin so we thought I probably would be." He didn't offer any further clarification. If they read between the lines at all they would hear that his father was not up for dinner table discussion.
"Me too. Daddy's side are usually Ravenclaws and I take after him the most. Mummy's a Fawley you know and they're a strange Slytherpuff mix. I hope she won't be too disappointed. "
Smethwyck joined in still fishing for potatoes. "Father was a Hufflepuff and Mother didn't attend Hogwarts he met her at Cambridge. I want to specialise in healing when we leave here. You?"
"Potions I think." He already was.
"I have no idea." Dorcas Meadows an exuberant girl with a riot of strawberry blonde curls shook her head. "It's all so exciting. I mean I knew there must be something it was only logical and I can't wait to find out how it all works. Mum and Dad were ever so surprised though when I got the letter. I'm looking forward to charms though it just seems so useful."
"I heard our head of house is the Charms professor so we'll be able to ask him all sorts of questions." that was a dark haired girl with wire rimmed spectacles who had introduced herself as Ciara Vaisey.
They settled down to eat and conversation got quiet, there were only the five of them in first year. Severus nevertheless filed away the tidbits of information he gathered about his new housemates as he enjoyed his dinner.
Eventually after the last of the desserts disappeared they lined up behind the sixth year prefects and began to make their way towards Ravenclaw Tower. At first they went along the same route as the Gryffindors as both had quite a steep upward trajectory from the ground floor great hall. They went up and up the main stairwell the steps worn smooth in the middle with the passage of so many over time, with the Gryfs chattering loudly and jumping on the moving steps the prefects pointing out landmarks along the way.
Severus loved this particular space within Hogwarts, it was so intensely magical with the sweep of the moving staircases like the inside of a clock and the curve of the marble balustrades in continuous shapes that would not have been possible without magical craftsmanship. The flicker of torchlight lending the place an aura of mysteries yet to be solved. He doubted any one person had uncovered all of her secrets. Coming from the grey of Cokeworth the castle had been a revelation for him as a child.
Severus ran his hand along the banister saying hello to Hogwarts, her magic making his fingers tingle.
Mayweather looked at him curiously, her head tilted slightly to one side. He shrugged.
On the fourth floor the ravens split off heading west along a long stone corridor which wound upwards to another set of stairs then past the battlements and the entry to the West Tower where both the owlery and the Headmasters office were situated which were chill with the evening cool. Eventually they came to a spiral staircase on the fifth floor which reached up intimidatingly and at the end of that a large wooden door in the centre of which was a knocker in the shape of a bronze eagle.
The prefects did one final headcount to check for stragglers before introducing them to the entrance.
"To gain entry to the Ravenclaw common room you have to answer a riddle" the male prefect a dark haired boy of average height who's name was Selwyn said while chapping the door. "Go on, one of you try."
"Which came first the phoenix or the flame?" Came a voice from the eagle which had animated and was looking at them with beady eyes.
"Go on then one of you have a go. This is to build your acumen and there is no such thing a wrong answer as long as you can defend your reasoning to the guardian." Farley, a girl with chestnut curls encouraged them. He had had a niece of hers in Slytherin, she had been a prefect too.
It was Mayweather that answered in her lilting Irish voice "A circle has no beginning."
The door swung open in welcome.
The Ravenclaw common room was beautiful. Severus hadn't had much cause to visit or examine it before. He had been occasionally when he had been supervising Filius' charges as well as his own for one holiday or another but it was a wide circular space with high arched windows looking out over the castle at the Scottish night sky which was clear, so clear by comparison to Cokesworth's pollution. The views over the surrounding mountains and the lake would be spectacular in the morning.
The carpet was a deep navy dotted with stars reflecting the high vaulted ceiling which had the same enchantments placed as the great hall and made it feel like you could touch the sky. There were study tables with silencing enchantments and cozy looking alcoves and window seats provided comfortable reading nooks. Ravenclaw's famed library was secluded behind a marble statue of the woman herself through clever use of spatial charms.
The stairs to the left of the statue, a spiral also carved of white marble lead up to a secondary level, a mezzanine wrapped around the circumference of the tower lined with more bookshelves on the outer wall and overlooking the common room. There were smaller circular tables set in the archways of the top of the windows, these had blue velvet curtains lending a cozy atmosphere where certain upper years were playing games and catching up.
Professor Flitwick was stood by the fire which burned brightly and was, as all Wizarding fires were when possible, on the South side of the tower where it would be most in harmony with the surrounding magics. They all gathered round to listen to him.
"Welcome, first years to Ravenclaw, the home of those who value wit and learning first and foremost. It is an honour to greet each and every one of you and welcome you to our home for the next seven years. My name is Professor Filius Flitwick and I will be your head of house. I have been a professor of charms here at Hogwarts for several years now, I also run the frog choir for those of you who are musically inclined. You have already met our 6th year prefects Ian Selwyn and Katherine Farley who will be your primary points of contact this year, they will be responsible for helping you all adjust to Hogwarts way of life."
"We hold a full house meeting every Friday before dinner. You will be shown the location of my office which is on the seventh floor tomorrow and my office hours are posted on the house noticeboard which are located to the side of the common room entryway. Should you have any questions, as I'm sure my curious eaglets will, I am always available, although you should first try one of the house prefects who will always be glad to assist you. Nevertheless I will be arranging one on one meetings this week to get to know a little more about you and address any immediate concerns you might have, the times will be posted on the house noticeboard tomorrow so be sure to check." He was smiling gently at each of them in turn, noting the new faces.
"Now I know that today will have been a long day for you so I'm going to say goodnight for now as I do not wish to overwhelm you on your first day here. Have a good night's sleep and I will see you bright and early in the morning." He said before signalling to the prefects to lead them away.
The door to the dormitories was behind a painting to the right of the statue. At the landing Severus and Smethwyck followed prefect Selwyn to the right hand staircase, the first year rooms were right at the top of the tower. They had much the same system in Slytherin where the older and theoretically more responsible students were situated closest to the common rooms. Partially to keep younger years out of mischief and partially because the curfew was set progressively later as the students aged and this way younger students wouldn't be disturbed by the older ones making their way to bed.
His legs were tired by the time they climbed the final set of stairs and came to a circular wooden landing which had three wooden doors stained a dark blue with bronze nameplates on them contrasting the grey stone of the tower.
"You two are in luck this year. Normally we would expect a couple more of you so it's usually two to a room but it's been decided you can have individual studies as you can see from the nameplates. The bathrooms are just back down the stairs on the landing on your right hand side, door next to the very anatomically accurate painting of a grindylow. Aggresive tentacled thing with sharp teeth and too long fingers in case you didn't know."
Severus wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief and smothered a grin at the appropriateness of using a grindylow as a bathroom guardian. It had been years since he had had to share sleeping space and he was desperately glad not to be sharing a dorm.
"Get some sleep tonight. Remember the early bird catches the worm. If you're down to the common room by 7.30 someone will be there to take you down to the great hall for breakfast, if not you'll have to make your own way. Full uniform not mufty, you're representing your house so look sharp. Tomorrows a Monday you'll get your schedules at breakfast from Professor Flitwick. Don't be late. Night." And with that Selwyn turned and made his way back down the stairs.
They stood there a little awkwardly for a moment.
"Meet you here at 7.15?"
"See you then Smethwyck." He nodded in the affirmative.
The wards on the room were adequate for tonight. He would put further warding on the interior tomorrow to fit his specifications. He could tell when he touched the handle that Flitwick had set them himself. The door opened onto a room the outer wall of which was curved with the tower. There was a four poster bed with a wooden nightstand to the side holding a lit lamp. The bed had blue silk hangings and dark blue linens in the middle of the wall, at the foot of which sat his trunk. A wardrobe stood on the left hand wall and a fairly large wooden desk was set in front of the window to the right.
The wooden floor was covered for the most part by a blue rug which was thinning in places from wear. There was shelving built into the wooden cladding on the lower half of the wall for his books and his favourite bit by far was the small hearth warming the room, by which was set a large blue armchair and a small wooden side table.
He sat himself down on the bed and lay back looking at the canopy. He was knackered. This wasn't where he had expected to be so some plans would need to shuffle, but he couldn't say he wasn't thankful for the privacy.
Severus stretched then up and got himself into his pyjamas and set out his slippers and dressing gown on the armchair by the fire so they would be warm in the morning. He then set a tempos alarm in case he forgot and settled himself to meditation. Calming his magic first, then cataloguing his thoughts and reactions to todays people and events to allow his thoughts to clear .
When he felt balanced he threw up a couple of alert wards for peace of mind then blew out the bedside lamp and curled up under the eiderdown and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be a new day.
