Chapter 3
Snape sat alone in the common room, seething. He was getting a lot of snickers and side glances. He hated that almost as much as being humiliated by the popular James and Sirius. Again. Why? Why?! WHY?! He hated them so much; he felt the feeling of a sort of angry pain in his chest that he felt so often. Everything in his life was terrible. His mother, the only person who had ever seemed to care about him, was dead, and only his father was left. His useless, abusive, drunkard father. His thoughts turned away from that painful subject and back to the one at hand. If only he could cast a hex on them before they got his wand! He knew so many; he just wasn't good at using them at the right time. And he hated to admit it, but he was scared. What if he did it, and instead of them ignoring him, they were even worse? Just because he was interested in the dark arts. Just because he wasn't popular. Just because he was in Slytherin. He knew he was exaggerating, he knew he wasn't all sweet and innocent, but he was too mad to care. He pretended not to notice the glances, the whisperings, the stares. He had had to go to the hospital wing, and the new caretaker Filch had deducted points from Slytherin for all the snakes on the floor. Like that was his bloody fault! Gred Flint gave him an evil look and Snape hid his face in a suspicious looking black book entitled "Advanced Hexes for the Serious Dark Artist." Oh how he wanted to hex that cocky James Potter, the Quiddich team captain, the adoration of so many girls, and the intelligent love of some of the looser teachers and known braggart. Make snakes come out his fingernails, hah! Not just little ones, but big, crushing man-eating pythons. The thought of James feeling the fear he felt every day both at home and a Hogwarts actually made him smile, his first smile that day, perhaps that week. But it would never happen. And no matter how much he hated the kid, he couldn't humiliate him with his hate. If he could have, James, Sirius, their seemingly useless sidekick who always seemed to be sick, Remus, and that stupid tag-along Peter, who all the popular Slytherins loved to beat up, would have all died of embarrassment a long time ago. If people could die of embarrassment, that is. Sirius and James defended Peter all the time, it made Snape sick. Nobody defended him when people were picking on him! Nobody cared about Snape, nobody ever thought about Snapes' feelings, because nobody thought Snape had feelings. Nobody had ever cared about him except his dead mother, who they had called an ugly troll. His eyes were beginning to become wet again, and he quickly rubbed his arm across his face like it had suddenly started to itch. Oh, they were so noble when they defended that little rat (Note: just coincidence, he doesn't know or anything!), and then their thick skulls couldn't even see the similarities between the Slytherins who were mean to Peter and how they were mean to him. Stupid gits. He glared at his book as if it was part of the problem that was his life and started to read it again, giving his pointless and angry thoughts a break.
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Peter Pettigrew, who had no clue anyone was thinking about him in such a hateful fashion besides Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy, was hiding in the bathroom. It had been about half an hour, but he wasn't sure if he should leave yet, even yet. Soon it would be supper and they would surely be eating. Then he could get out and find his friends, then he would be safe. He stared at the horrid bright green stalls for another five minutes and sighed. He was sitting under one of sinks, his hair just touching the bottom of its bowl. In Herbology he had been terrible at everything as usual and had accidentally knocked down a pot of a baby Mandrake. Unfortunately, the Mandrake had started to cry and several people were knocked out, including him and the teacher, Professor Agena Grubbs. Then he had burned his cauldron down in Potions, and kindly but absentminded Professor Befnor had had to take him to the hospital wing for the second time that day. Afterwards, he hadn't been able to find Sirius, James and Remus, and had instead been harassed by Malfoy and his friend Lestrange. He was so afraid of them! This time they had just hexed him with jelly legs and left him because Professor Galmium had been walking down the hall, and woe to anyone caught doing anything against school rules when she was on the prowl. He turned his thoughts to his friends. James and Remus were so cool and amazing; sometimes he still couldn't believe they were his friends! They were friends with him, and they helped him with his homework and everything, even though they were all so much smarter then him and so popular, but they still talked with him! They were the best people he had ever met besides his father, and that was saying something! Even though he, Peter, was so useless, so helpless and bumbling, they still were nice and even allowed him to be part of everything they did, even become amigious'(sp!) with them and make there new project, the map, with them. He could have never made himself into a rat without there help. But currently they weren't here, and Peter was beginning to lose track of the time. Suddenly, the door slammed open and in came somebody who by their footsteps seemed to be in a very foul mood.
Peering over, Peter saw someone he really didn't want to see, but at least it wasn't Lucius Malfoy ("Stupid half-blooded half-wit!"). Serverous Snape glared at him with pure loathing, and Peter looked at the floor and shivered. Getting up, he backed up to the wall and tried to slowly go around him. He had only really encountered Snape alone a few times, but Snape had just glared at him and gone on by without trouble. This time, however, Snape whirled on him and spat:
"Where is your little protection squad, rat? Aren't here now are they? They can't protect you now, oh no, great brave James and Sirius aren't here to protect you. What will you do now, rat?" Snape felt evilly pleased with himself. He could hurt Peter, Peter couldn't do anything, and then that would hurt the other three. He didn't mind if he got a black eye tomorrow, or another hex, the satisfaction of doing something awful to Peter to get back at them would be worth it.
"R-rat?" Peter stared at him, eyes wide. He couldn't know: how could he know? They were ever so careful…at least…they told him they were careful…Oh no. Oh, what if he knew. Would he tell the teachers? Would they be expelled? "Uh…rat?"
"Yes, you look just like a frightened little rat. You always do. That's why I'm calling you that. Is that ok, rat? Huh?" Snape gave him a twisted smile. The pain he was feeling was becoming a small ache, the thrill of taunting Peter like he so wanted to do to James was numbing it. He would make Peter feel how he did every day!
Peter breathed in relief. He didn't know. Or at least, Peter hoped he didn't, "…Uh, please don't hurt me, please…call me whatever you want…" Peter muttered, staring at the ground. He hated himself for letting people walk all over him. He hated himself for how pathetic he always was. He hated himself because he always did things wrong. He hated himself because he wasn't good at a single thing besides getting into trouble. Oh how he wished he could be like James, Remus or Sirius. They always knew what to do, they were so brave, funny, everybody liked them, and nobody would dare to pick on them! And Snape was right; he did always act like a frightened little rat. Oh how he despised how useless he was.
Snape majestically pulled his wand from his robes and pointed it at Peter. Seeing Peter sink to the ground and cover up his face, not even trying to get his wand out to fight, he felt himself waver. That was him just earlier today, afraid of James and Sirius doing exactly what he was going to do to Peter. He lowered his wand and bit his lip. They had called his mother an ugly troll. He had to protect her honor! He lifted his wand again. Peter whimpered. He put it down. Peter peered out from between his fingers at him and Snape raised it again, still unsure of what to do.
"He should be here somewhere," they both heard somebody say quietly, sounding a bit puzzled, "Oh, I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble again." It was Remus' voice, and he sounded very anxious. Peter's heart leaped while Snape's sunk like a stone.
"Damn!" Snape muttered. He was foiled of his revenge, and they would probably hex him again after they saw the situation. Peter scrambled up; looking like Christmas had come early.
The door opened, and a mild but worried looking Remus stepped in. "Oh Peter there you are! Everybody was worried about you! We were about to…uh…" glancing at Snape, wand still out, Remus frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Using the toilet!" Snape snarled, "What else would I be doing in a bathroom?" He glared at Peter, daring him to say anything. If the little twerp squealed, he was dead whenever Snape could find him alone.
"Uh, yeah, that's true," Peter nodded fervently. Remus looked suspicious, but followed an eager Peter out the door. Snape sighed. At least he hadn't been hexed.
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Note: I'm sorry everybody seems to be picking on everybody else and beating them up in this story! Ahh! Seriously, Peter is the last time and then stuff will really start to happen! Also, I will be away tell the 15th, don't worry, I haven't abandoned this story nor Percy!
K.D. Toling: I swear, I don't try to make people feel sorry for people! I don't, lol. Well, maybe subconsciously. Maybe not quite subconsciously, but…ah, forget it. Maybe I do but I don't try it! Ok, that doesn't make any sense! Just forget it, forget I said anything! About Snape, I think personally: even if Snape is a git he has serious problems that don't go away when he "grows up" in the physical sense. Would a truly mature person hate Harry just because he is James' son considering Harry is nothing like young James? I just can't hate him because he is so messed up inside! And then there is the thing with joining the dark side and coming back to the good side. Considering the fact that's where I think Percy is heading I, again, just can't hate him! I have not clue how you will feel after this chapter that I just wrote about Snape because it's really hard to hate him when all this crap has happened to him, but he is sitting there thinking all these nasty little thoughts at the same time and later being really evil to Peter! It's weird please tell me what you think! More randomness: it was hard to believe at first that James and Sirius were so awful and cocky in Hogwarts, then when I thought about it, it kind of made sense because Snape hates Harry sooo much, more then just a simple grudge would cause. You can tell I'm doing some serious but useless thinking today! What do you think about it all?