Why does it Rain on Knockturn Alley?
Chapter 3: Upside-down and Backwards
Cassius Snape was pacing around his room, trying to decide what exactly he was going to write in his letter to his mum. Well, that and other things. Like whether he should strangle his little brother, have his name legally changed, and what was for dinner tonight. Why did this year have to be so damn hard? He had worked very hard to fit into Ravenclaw when he first came to Hogwarts. Everyone had been worried about hanging around with an alley kid, because of course, all alley kids were arrogant, evil, prejudiced jerks. They were really surprised that he was in Ravenclaw. He had to gain his classmates' trust the hard way, by clapping harder than anyone else for Ravenclaw at every game, by avoiding using a curse on anyone for any reason, by helping tutor Muggle-born students. And all his hard work had paid off. He was now Headboy, looked up to by all the students in the school, and his friends were willing to pretend that he wasn't from the alley. This year was supposed to be a great year and nothing should ruin it. Damn you, Severus.
When his brother got into that fight in the train station, he knew there would be trouble, but he hoped it would be kept to a minimum. He knew that some of his housemates had whispered suspicious words behind his back when Severus was sorted into Slytherin, but he could handle it, as long as his brother had avoided big time trouble. Like what had happened this morning. It was something he would never have thought his brother would do. It wasn't the hexing that surprised him. No, Severus was known for his hexes. And it wasn't the fact that he got into a fight with the Gryffindors. No, the little troublemaker would get into fights with those Gryffindors- Black, Potter and their little friends-at least twice a week. It was the fact that he had used that word. Severus hated that word, he always complained when the kids on the alley would call HIM that just last year, and Mother hated it even worse. And now Cassius would have to write his mother a letter explaining what had happened, and then go down to the Ravenclaw table to be greeted by unfriendly stares. A good reputation: hard to gain, easy to ruin.
Dear Mum,
How are you and Anastasia doing? Classes are going great and everything here has been going well for me. I'm worried about Severus though; life in Slytherin seems to be bringing out his bad qualities. He has been getting into a lot of fights with the other kids, more so than usual. But what he did this morning is really worrying me. I didn't see the whole thing, but from talking with people after the incident he started a fight by calling a young Gryffindor girl a Mudblood. He then cursed four boys who had risen to defend her. He will have a detention and has lost thirty points from his house, but I am afraid such punishment will not stop the changes I have been seeing in my little brother.
All My Love,
Cassius
***
That Afternoon
I don't believe this. I can't do it. I just won't. They really can't expect it. It might be easier though, if I choose someone whom I don't particularly like. Yes, that might work. who would it seem normal for me to be fighting with? Can't be Potter, his father works at the Ministry, and the Potters have been around for a long time. Can't be Black, he's only a half-blood and if I say it, it's going to be true. No matter what Malfoy thinks, I'm not going to insult someone if it's not true; I'm not going to sink to that level. Lupin then, no... no... no... there is something wrong with that kid, but he is definitely from a wizard house. Pettigrew? No, that runt is also all wizard... I'll just not do it. Understand that Lucius, I'm not going to do it. It's not fair, but then when have I cared whether something is fair? Here come the four musketeers and their groupies...
"Thank you for helping me with my Transfiguration, James. This has just been so overwhelming. I mean...me, a witch. My family was so surprised." Oh. Here is my chance... That red headed girl is definitely Muggle-born... But should I...
"Never thought you'd lower yourself to that level, James." That will get him angry, and it's easier to insult the idiot when he is angry.
"What did you say Snape?" Says ickle Jamsie Potter. Here goes nothing...
"I said, I never thought I'd see you flirting with dirty Mudbloods." Hope I put enough confidence in my voice there. Sirius Black looks like he's about to jump on me. Good, now it's over.
"Take that back Snape." And you're going to make me?
"Won't." Maybe they've actually learnt some magic by now; it's only been what, two months. No he's going to try to punch me. When will they ever learn?
"Inverto!" Sirius falls like he's been tripped, and ends up standing on his hands. He's dropped his wand and can't get down. Doesn't he know you need the counter-curse; this isn't a normal handstand? Ah, here come the rest of those idiots.
"Inverto! Inverto! Inverto!" Ha! Now all of them are hanging upside down. All of the other Slytherins are laughing their heads off and the Gryffindors are trying not to glare.
"Boxers or briefs, Potter." I ask when I notice them trying very hard to keep their robes from falling over their heads. Lupin's legs have an abnormal amount of scars on them. Interesting.
"Let us down, Snape!" Na-ah. This is too funny... Maybe after an hour.
"Severus!" Cassius. Does he have to ruin everything? "Thirty points from Slytherin and detention! Now would someone mind explaining what is going on here?" Apparently yes. Oh, well. At least I have that out of the way.
***
That Morning
Please don't let it be today. Please don't let it be today. And please let it be easy. I don't want to go through with this, but it would disappoint my house. If I don't go through with it I will be an outcast again, and the Slytherins will know that I don't belong here. Nothing I do before this will matter, and neither will anything I do after it. I will be the kid who failed the Slytherin challenge. Rebecca, Martin and Evan have already had their challenges, and they passed. They keep telling me not to worry, it will be easy. Easy for them to say. When Lucius Malfoy...There is an owl coming straight for me. Hopefully not the challenge, not the challenge.
"Before the day is over you must insult a Mudblood. You must use the word Mudblood. - The Order of the Serpent."
Martin is looking over my shoulder, reading. "That's not that hard, Severus. They had me steal Dumbledore's glasses, never thought I'd live it down."
"Why do you get the easy one, Severus? I had to replace the sugar in the teachers lounge with levitating powder. You really are lucky." Rebecca chimes in. Yeah right. Lucius knows just how to torment me.
"Yeah, I guess I am lucky."
***
Two Months Earlier
"Welcome to Slytherin, the greatest of the houses, named in honor of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Founders. To be in this house is one of the greatest honors a wizard can have. The honors of being in this house will stay with you for long after you graduate. However, just because the sorting hat has placed you here, doesn't make you worthy of such an honor. To prove your loyalty to Slytherin, you must swear your loyalty to Salazar Slytherin and perform a task, which the other Slytherin Prefects and I will set for you. You will receive your task by owl before the end of the term. Only upon completing the task will you be considered a full Slytherin. Any Slytherin who fails at their task is a disgrace and will be treated as such."
I know this is aimed at all the first years, but why do I get the funny feeling that whatever task is set for me will be especially nasty? Don't worry, the other prefects will not allow any thing that is too hard or too dangerous. Still, that glare in Lucius's eye warns me this is not going to be pleasant.
***
The Morning After
"Congratulations, Snape on a job well done. I didn't know if you had it in you." His words might be kind, but Lucius still doesn't like me. They are treating me like a hero.
"'Boxers or Briefs Potter,' honestly Severus, I haven't seen anything that amusing since Professor Flitwick started levitating in the middle of Charms, eh, Rebecca," Evan adds. I guess the curse was funny. I shouldn't feel so guilty.
"No, better. Only Severus could take a lame challenge like that and make it great," Rebecca says. Oh, yes miss modesty.
"Welcome to Slytherin," Eric Lestrange, a seventh year, mumbles. Everything is going fine. This doesn't mean anything and I'll never have to do it again.
"Thanks." I look up and see an owl coming straight towards me. Mum's owl. With a howler.
Disclaimer: Some of these characters are mine some of these are JKR's. So I can't make money off of this, so don't even think about it.
Disclaimer 2: "Time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so." Douglass Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Thanks To Moey
Chapter 3: Upside-down and Backwards
Cassius Snape was pacing around his room, trying to decide what exactly he was going to write in his letter to his mum. Well, that and other things. Like whether he should strangle his little brother, have his name legally changed, and what was for dinner tonight. Why did this year have to be so damn hard? He had worked very hard to fit into Ravenclaw when he first came to Hogwarts. Everyone had been worried about hanging around with an alley kid, because of course, all alley kids were arrogant, evil, prejudiced jerks. They were really surprised that he was in Ravenclaw. He had to gain his classmates' trust the hard way, by clapping harder than anyone else for Ravenclaw at every game, by avoiding using a curse on anyone for any reason, by helping tutor Muggle-born students. And all his hard work had paid off. He was now Headboy, looked up to by all the students in the school, and his friends were willing to pretend that he wasn't from the alley. This year was supposed to be a great year and nothing should ruin it. Damn you, Severus.
When his brother got into that fight in the train station, he knew there would be trouble, but he hoped it would be kept to a minimum. He knew that some of his housemates had whispered suspicious words behind his back when Severus was sorted into Slytherin, but he could handle it, as long as his brother had avoided big time trouble. Like what had happened this morning. It was something he would never have thought his brother would do. It wasn't the hexing that surprised him. No, Severus was known for his hexes. And it wasn't the fact that he got into a fight with the Gryffindors. No, the little troublemaker would get into fights with those Gryffindors- Black, Potter and their little friends-at least twice a week. It was the fact that he had used that word. Severus hated that word, he always complained when the kids on the alley would call HIM that just last year, and Mother hated it even worse. And now Cassius would have to write his mother a letter explaining what had happened, and then go down to the Ravenclaw table to be greeted by unfriendly stares. A good reputation: hard to gain, easy to ruin.
Dear Mum,
How are you and Anastasia doing? Classes are going great and everything here has been going well for me. I'm worried about Severus though; life in Slytherin seems to be bringing out his bad qualities. He has been getting into a lot of fights with the other kids, more so than usual. But what he did this morning is really worrying me. I didn't see the whole thing, but from talking with people after the incident he started a fight by calling a young Gryffindor girl a Mudblood. He then cursed four boys who had risen to defend her. He will have a detention and has lost thirty points from his house, but I am afraid such punishment will not stop the changes I have been seeing in my little brother.
All My Love,
Cassius
***
That Afternoon
I don't believe this. I can't do it. I just won't. They really can't expect it. It might be easier though, if I choose someone whom I don't particularly like. Yes, that might work. who would it seem normal for me to be fighting with? Can't be Potter, his father works at the Ministry, and the Potters have been around for a long time. Can't be Black, he's only a half-blood and if I say it, it's going to be true. No matter what Malfoy thinks, I'm not going to insult someone if it's not true; I'm not going to sink to that level. Lupin then, no... no... no... there is something wrong with that kid, but he is definitely from a wizard house. Pettigrew? No, that runt is also all wizard... I'll just not do it. Understand that Lucius, I'm not going to do it. It's not fair, but then when have I cared whether something is fair? Here come the four musketeers and their groupies...
"Thank you for helping me with my Transfiguration, James. This has just been so overwhelming. I mean...me, a witch. My family was so surprised." Oh. Here is my chance... That red headed girl is definitely Muggle-born... But should I...
"Never thought you'd lower yourself to that level, James." That will get him angry, and it's easier to insult the idiot when he is angry.
"What did you say Snape?" Says ickle Jamsie Potter. Here goes nothing...
"I said, I never thought I'd see you flirting with dirty Mudbloods." Hope I put enough confidence in my voice there. Sirius Black looks like he's about to jump on me. Good, now it's over.
"Take that back Snape." And you're going to make me?
"Won't." Maybe they've actually learnt some magic by now; it's only been what, two months. No he's going to try to punch me. When will they ever learn?
"Inverto!" Sirius falls like he's been tripped, and ends up standing on his hands. He's dropped his wand and can't get down. Doesn't he know you need the counter-curse; this isn't a normal handstand? Ah, here come the rest of those idiots.
"Inverto! Inverto! Inverto!" Ha! Now all of them are hanging upside down. All of the other Slytherins are laughing their heads off and the Gryffindors are trying not to glare.
"Boxers or briefs, Potter." I ask when I notice them trying very hard to keep their robes from falling over their heads. Lupin's legs have an abnormal amount of scars on them. Interesting.
"Let us down, Snape!" Na-ah. This is too funny... Maybe after an hour.
"Severus!" Cassius. Does he have to ruin everything? "Thirty points from Slytherin and detention! Now would someone mind explaining what is going on here?" Apparently yes. Oh, well. At least I have that out of the way.
***
That Morning
Please don't let it be today. Please don't let it be today. And please let it be easy. I don't want to go through with this, but it would disappoint my house. If I don't go through with it I will be an outcast again, and the Slytherins will know that I don't belong here. Nothing I do before this will matter, and neither will anything I do after it. I will be the kid who failed the Slytherin challenge. Rebecca, Martin and Evan have already had their challenges, and they passed. They keep telling me not to worry, it will be easy. Easy for them to say. When Lucius Malfoy...There is an owl coming straight for me. Hopefully not the challenge, not the challenge.
"Before the day is over you must insult a Mudblood. You must use the word Mudblood. - The Order of the Serpent."
Martin is looking over my shoulder, reading. "That's not that hard, Severus. They had me steal Dumbledore's glasses, never thought I'd live it down."
"Why do you get the easy one, Severus? I had to replace the sugar in the teachers lounge with levitating powder. You really are lucky." Rebecca chimes in. Yeah right. Lucius knows just how to torment me.
"Yeah, I guess I am lucky."
***
Two Months Earlier
"Welcome to Slytherin, the greatest of the houses, named in honor of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Founders. To be in this house is one of the greatest honors a wizard can have. The honors of being in this house will stay with you for long after you graduate. However, just because the sorting hat has placed you here, doesn't make you worthy of such an honor. To prove your loyalty to Slytherin, you must swear your loyalty to Salazar Slytherin and perform a task, which the other Slytherin Prefects and I will set for you. You will receive your task by owl before the end of the term. Only upon completing the task will you be considered a full Slytherin. Any Slytherin who fails at their task is a disgrace and will be treated as such."
I know this is aimed at all the first years, but why do I get the funny feeling that whatever task is set for me will be especially nasty? Don't worry, the other prefects will not allow any thing that is too hard or too dangerous. Still, that glare in Lucius's eye warns me this is not going to be pleasant.
***
The Morning After
"Congratulations, Snape on a job well done. I didn't know if you had it in you." His words might be kind, but Lucius still doesn't like me. They are treating me like a hero.
"'Boxers or Briefs Potter,' honestly Severus, I haven't seen anything that amusing since Professor Flitwick started levitating in the middle of Charms, eh, Rebecca," Evan adds. I guess the curse was funny. I shouldn't feel so guilty.
"No, better. Only Severus could take a lame challenge like that and make it great," Rebecca says. Oh, yes miss modesty.
"Welcome to Slytherin," Eric Lestrange, a seventh year, mumbles. Everything is going fine. This doesn't mean anything and I'll never have to do it again.
"Thanks." I look up and see an owl coming straight towards me. Mum's owl. With a howler.
Disclaimer: Some of these characters are mine some of these are JKR's. So I can't make money off of this, so don't even think about it.
Disclaimer 2: "Time is an illusion, lunch time doubly so." Douglass Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Thanks To Moey
