Disclaimer: Do I own the Harry Potter series? Yes, as any good fan would. Do I claim ownership of the ideas and characters contained therein? I most asuredly do not. Am I borrowing the characters and taking rather absurd liberties with them? Well, that one's debatable.
Okay, this is a response to a challenge posting, the rules are as follows:
1. Snape goes to a Halloween party.
2. Pumpkin Juice gets spiked.
3. He meets somebody from his past.
Must be between 1000-3000 words.
Tricked and Treated
"Sevy! How you doin'?"
Strangely, at the tender age of five years, Severus already knew that he did not under any circumstance like Lucius Malfoy. Actually, at the tender age of five, Severus was pretty sure he didn't like anybody. They were all so... so... cheerful all the time.
"Lucy." He replied with a regal bow of his head as he turned away. Well, actually, the regal bowing of his head bore a much closer resemblance to him sticking his tongue out- but hey, go with what works. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, the large raven mask his mother had made him wear to this stupid Halloween party covered half his face.
"Lucy?" The other boy's voice rose in pitch, his snake mask making him look like a lizard on magic mushrooms. Lucius stretched out and kicked him in the shin. "My name's not Lucy."
Severus bit the inside of his cheek. His very own lovely father was standing not five feet away- dressed as a rather obese crocodile. And although he wouldn't do anything if Snape hit back; Basil was sure to tell his wife, and Synestra Snape was a force to be reckoned with.
"You're nothing but a pixie-monkey." He sneered instead. It would be many more years before Severus perfected this art, but one cannot argue with skills that had been inborn.
"Horklump."
"Veela."
Lucius opened his mouth for another shot but just then, Julius Malfoy- Lucius' father who was dressed as a king of some sort, albeit a headless one- wandered up with a bit of a stagger in his step to check on the two boys. "And just how are you two fine lads getting along? Marvelously so it seems. Good? Good. Severus, be sure to tell you're mother what a fine time we've been having. And just what are you two doing over here away from all the fun anyhow? They're bobbing for grindylows over in the corner there, why don't you boys give it whirl?"
And so it was that Severus found himself staring at Lucius over a barrel of grindlows. Bobbing for gindylows? Snape thought with a shiver, Ewwww. My parents are crazy. Lucius looked as though much the same thing had occurred to him.
"Wanna play hide-and-go-seek instead?" Lucius asked after a moment of watching the little green creatures swim about.
"Sure."
Severus wasn't sure who had put the vodka in his mother's pumpkin juice, but judging by the way the Minister of Magic was dancing, someone certainly had. He and Lucius paused for a moment to watch the poor man. It looked like someone had let a grindylow loose in his pants. Actually, knowing his tyrannical mother, Severus wouldn't be surprised if she had. He giggled at the thought, and heard Lucius echo it.
"Stupid man." Lucius said under his breath.
Severus was impressed. Obviously by the much improved age of seven, one knew where one's political loyalties laid. At his age, he could still care less.
On their way out, they picked up some of the other children who had been wandering about. It was really a grown-up party.
"Okay, we're only playing out here in the gardens. Severus, you're first, we'll all go hide." Lucius was saying.
"But..." Severus started.
"What?"
Severus gulped, "I'm not allowed in the gardens this late at night."
Lucius prodded the boys around him and they started laughing along with him, "Aww, is ickle-Sevykins afraid of the getting caught? Poor little Sevy."
"My name's not Sevy!" Severus shouted.
"Go on." Lucius taunted, "I dare you to go in there."
"I will!" Severus shouted back as he marched into the darkness.
"Alright, so maybe this wasn't the greatest idea..." Severus was talking to himself as he wandered through the gardens- looking furtively from side to side. The reason he wasn't allowed in the garden was because his mother kept her 'pets' in there at night. He'd have told Lucius that, but secretly, he was rather hoping the boy got attacked by some dragon or thestral or some other evil beastie his mum kept around.
Something furry brushed his cheek and he jumped.
"Hey, Mr. Floppy." He sighed with relief upon seeing what it was, "How'd you get out here?"
Severus pulled the flop-eared rabbit stuffed animal- although with it's apparent lack of stuffing it was really no longer deserving of that particular title- from the tree branch it was stuck on.
"I haven't seen you in ages, Dad said Mum threw you out." he mused. Mr. Floppy's black eyes offered no answers.
Suddenly, he heard the crack of a branch breaking off to his left. Being a wizard who'd never seen any Muggle films- and therefore not knowing that you never ever say 'who's there?'- Severus committed this inevitably fatal mistake.
"Who's there?" He called out, hugging the stuffed animal to himself. When no response came, he added, "If you don't come out now, I'll tell my mommy!" When there was still no response he called out softly, "Mummy?"
"ARGH!"
"Eeek!" Severus yelped as he jumped back from the creature that had leapt out in front of him. He turned to run, but heard laughter that was distinctly human in nature. Upon closer inspection, his monster was no more than a group of children masquerading as such.
"You screamed like a little girl!" Lucius was choking out.
"I do not!" Severus retorted, stamping his little foot, "And it's not funny."
"Yes it is." Lucius corrected. "And was that a teddy bear I saw you holding?"
"He's not a bear he's a rabbit stupid." Severus defended the toy from his infancy.
Just then, something large and fangy appeared from the darkness.
"More friends of yours?" Severus asked Lucius as he stood in shock, watching the monster eat his stuffed animal.
"Unh-uh."
Severus and Lucius looked at each other for a comical moment before turning tail and running for dear life, sacrificing poor Mr. Floppy to the gods of fate.
"Ahhhhhh!"
By the time they had reached the manor, all the children were out of breath.
"Some pets you've got there Sevy." Teddy Nott was saying.
"Yeah," Severus said, pulling himself upright but still panting for breath, "and if you call me Sevy one more time, I'll sick them on you. So there."
"You were running just as fast as the rest of us back there." Lucius pointed out, breathing heavily as well, "I don't think you have any control over what they do."
"I do too."
"Do not."
"Do too."
"Do not."
"Do too, do too, do too!"
"Do not, do not, do not!"
"Yes I do!" Severus shouted, kicking Lucius in the kneecap.
"Why you little twerp!" Lucius shouted, jumping forward. He was stopped short by the one voice no one wanted to hear.
"Lucius Rodolfo Malfoy! I don not know what kind of language is acceptable at Malfoy Manor, but in my house, we don not use such vulgarity."
Severus turned to see Synestra Snape bearing down on the group of children like an enraged battleship at full sail- in part due to her rather elaborate costuming efforts. And for once, he didn't mind. As long as Lucius was the one getting in trouble, she could bear down as much as she liked.
"And you!" She turned on her son.
Uh oh.
"You should know better!"
Severus breathed a sigh of relief. 'Knowing better' was his mother's excuse for yelling at him when she couldn't prove he'd done anything wrong. "Yes ma'am." He intoned, as was the proper reply.
"Humph." She snorted before realizing that Lucius was trying to sneak away. "And where do you think you're going?" She shrieked, grabbing the boy by the ear and twisting until he was walking on tiptoe to remain the owner of said ear. "I have a good inclination to give you a piece of my mind." She scolded as she led Lucius off- who was chanting for mercy the entire way.
Severus couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. This might beat the time he put a lizard in Narcissa Black's shoes, but managed to get Teddy blamed for it.
It just might.
On the other hand, he thought as Greg Goyle poured a bowl of spiked pumpkin juice over his head, it might not.