Hogwarts, May 25

- Lucius … - Severus, embarrassed, turned to his friend. - Could we talk?

The blond looked at the younger Slytherin. He saw how much Severus was tormented by an argument with his friend, but he thought that Sev had to get over it and moved on. Apparently he was wrong. Lucius looked at Narcissa who had a worried look. Despite Snape's unflattering background, he earned the respect and sympathy of the pureblood members of the Slytherin house.

- Of course. Lead.

The black-haired boy nodded and headed towards his dormitory. When it turned out that he was mistreated not only by a group calling himself the Marauders but also by other Slytherins, their caretaker arranged for him a room that belonged only to him. Unfortunately, with Albus Dumbledore's overt favoritism towards the Gryffindors, little more could be done. Not with the high wizard standing he earned after allegedly defeating Grindelwald.

- What is going on? - Lucius approached the younger boy and wrapped his arms around him. He felt Severus stiffen in his embrace.

- I would like to ask you for help in transferring from this school without notifying the principal. - Closing his eyes to avoid seeing the youngest Malfoy's reaction, he continued - My situation won't get any better until I'm away from Potter. I have found a ritual that will let me break away from him, but I will need someone to replace him in this bond.

The blonde didn't know what was happening. - What are you talking about?

- I am Veela. My mate is Potter, but it's killing me. The swap ritual can work, but for about a year after swapping, I can't be around my original partner.

- Merlin, Sev ! Why didn't you tell us sooner?

- What was I supposed to say? How my fucked-up legacy made me attached to a guy who would sooner see me dead than in a romantic relationship with him? Or that his behavior is literally killing me? I am getting weaker and the only thing that saves me from death so far is the fact that he doesn't know about the veel gene. Thus, he cannot turn me off. I have no doubts he would have done it if only for the sheer satisfaction of seeing me die. - Severus felt his heart slowly dying away. He didn't want to feel it anymore.

The Malfoy heir studied his friend. He saw how bad condition he was. He couldn't let him die. Not only because he was useful to the Dark Lord and his job was to recruit a Potions genius. He wanted to help him because he couldn't see the boy he began to perceive as…. disappeared from his life forever.

- I'll help you. If you wouldn't mind that your new mate would be a Muggle-born, then I have the right person. I won't go into details, but I know a witch whose partner was a werewolf who tried to rape her before turning into a werewolf.

Hogwarts, September 1

Lily Evans looked around the platform for her friend. She missed Severus and wished she had rejected his friendship so easily after he had been provoked. She knew that because of the situation in his house, he was provoked to attack everyone who approached him. She hasn't seen him since they left the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9 ¾. She was at his door several times but no one opened it. Later her parents told her that the Snape family had moved out of Spinner's End.

- Sirius ... Have you seen Severus? - she asked Black, who had just appeared by her side.

- Why do you want to know where Snivelus is? - The animagus snorted indignantly. He thought they had successfully separated the two.

To her displeasure, before Sirius could answer her, James Potter and his parents approached them. Fleamont and Dorothea Potter.

- Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. - She bowed in the hope that she made a good impression on the boy who was her friend. Not a friend like Severus, but she still wanted to have good first impression.

- If I understand correctly you must be Miss Evans. James has told me a lot about you.

The girl noticed the blush on the boy's face out of the corner of her eye. She didn't know what he meant when he talked about her with his parents. - Yes? James has a vivid imagination.

- He was extremely surprised that the veela gene had appeared in the Muggle-born family. He wondered what family one of your ancestors came from. - Dorothea watched the girl's reaction. She knew that her son liked Lily, but she felt there was something wrong with it. According to the stories, he paid more attention to her Slytherin friend.

- I told you. James has a vivid imagination. I was wondering where I got my magical abilities from. That's why I asked Professor Slugthorn to help me brew the inheritance potion. For the past twenty generations, there is no one in my family who is a wizard, squib, veela, or any other magical creature.

xxx

James didn't want to admit that he was so wrong. He really thought the first time he met her on the train that Lily was his mate. The fact that the girl was placed in the same house as he only seemed to confirm his theory.

- But then from whom did I feel this surge of magic? - Potter asked in a not very subtle whisper.

Lily smiled to herself. - Karma is a bitch. It turns out that the boy you've bullied over the past five years is your soul mate.

- Have you been bullying? - Fleamont turned to his son. The wizard noticed both James and Sirius Black's gazes grew uneasy.

The boy, his head bowed, muttered a soft confirmation. He didn't want to meet his father's eyes. He sensed his father was disappointed.

- I can assume Principal Dumbledore knew about this. - his mother's voice was as harsh as ever. - I'm going to talk to Abraxas. He'll probably tell me more than the incompetent Professor McGonagall. It was her duty to inform me of my son's inappropriate behavior. Son, I guess that was one of the reasons for your… incompetence, but you seem to be forgetting that I'm from the Rosier family. From a family that has always been sorted to the Slytherin Hpuse. You forget that I am proud of my roots. I will make sure that all privileges are taken from you and your friends. And something else. Forget that you will get something of your inheritance from my family. You are Slytherin intolerant, so you won't get anything from the Slytherin legacy.

xxx

Dorothea approached her childhood friend confidently. She knew her marriage to Fleamont was at best a business arrangement. At first. Later, she learned to like the man who respected her. However, she could not forget that during her school days she was infatuated with the handsome blonde.

- Lord Malfoy. - she greeted him in an official way. - Could I take a little bit of your time from you?

The older blonde nodded at his son. Only then did the boy say hello. The woman wondered how Abraxas achieved such refinement in a hormone-torn teenager.

- Father, Mrs. Potter, forgive me a moment.

Before the boy left, she put a hand on Lucius's shoulder. - You could stay. I think you could also be useful.

- Thea, what's going on? We haven't spoken since our argument.

- It's time to join forces to get this school in order. You are on the Board of Governors and I expect you to be my support during my conversation with Albus. - The witch spoke through clenched jaws, trying to keep a calm expression on her face despite the emotions buzzing in her.

- It must be serious that you are addressing someone you haven't spoken to in almost twenty years. - Abraxas was delicately amused by the angry looks of Fleamont and James Potter. Sirius Black looked like he was about to collapse into the ground.

- You're not wrong, Ferret. - Abraxas' face lit up in a smile at the sound of his former nickname. - I just found out that Dumbledore is sweeping under the rug again that the Slytherins are being harassed by Gryffindors. And he can't even make excuses it's because of our old friend, because I was a year higher than you and I know that even without Tom Riddle Slytherin wasn't on his favorites list.

The witch noticed the surprised expression on her friend's son's face. - Brax, didn't you tell Lucius I was a Slytherin?

- Honey, no. But only because you lost your spirit. However, I see that you are back on track. I will help you with everything to bring the right discipline to Hogwarts. It's just a pity Severus Snape won't see it. He was such a valuable student. Another school will benefit from having one as a graduate.

- He transfered? - she asked worried. She would do anything to break his bond with her son. James had turned out to be ungrateful and he didn't deserve to have a bond with the veela. She had a strong feeling that in fact what attracted her son's magic was not Lily but Eileen Prince's son. - That's good. He needs peace. I hope someday I will be able to meet him.

xxx

Lily couldn't help but chuckle at James Potter's frightened expression. She didn't think this cocky boy could be afraid of anyone.

- Father, you can't be serious. Mom couldn't be a Slytherin. Slytherins are bad.

- I'll tell you one thing. Better not to tease your mother if you want any privileges in the next few years.

Fleamont Potter was disappointed with his son's demeanor. He thought they had managed to raise him without the prejudices that haunted his generation. After all, his friends were Sirius Black, a boy from a family darker than his name implied, Peter Pettigrew, a half-blood wizard, and Remus Lupine, who was touched by Lycanthropy. Not to mention the fact that his son had a crush on a Muggle-born. Apparently, instead of prejudices about blood, he had developed a prejudice about the Houses. The wizard suspected who the fault might have been, or rather who had helped develop the prejudices germinating in the young student.

- What's going on? a small group heard the voice of Remus, the Gryffindor prefect, approaching them. - You look worried.

Sirius Black answered the question. - Turns out James's soul mate wasn't Lily, but Snivelus, and James's mother was a Slytherin.

xxx

Abraxas regarded Thea with appreciation. - I think you want to go in the right direction. Lucius what do you think?

The young wizard smiled with satisfaction. He didn't think that James Potter's mother would react to past events this way, and he didn't think that she had not been notified in advance of what was going on at school. - Can I write to Severus about these arrangements?

- Write. I have one more request for you. I need to get Eileen's address. I know she has moved. For many years I have been trying to make her part with her husband.

- I will ask if I can pass this information on to you. Although I doubt if he would agree to it. Lucius answered without hesitating.

Lord Malfoy was studying his friend, wondering how to help his friend. After a while it dawned on him. - Send a letter to Eileen to us. We'll pass it on to her. It will be up to her to decide whether or not she wants to respond.

xxx

Fleamont Potter watched as his wife hugged Abraxas Malfoy. It felt like it was going on a little too long, but then he noticed the man whispering something in her ear. Apparently, he had something to tell her that was not intended for his son's ears.

- Mr. Potter, since when is your wife so familiar with Lord Malfoy? - Remus was curious about the situation.

During the silence that followed that question, Dorothea Potter made it back to her family. Her husband pointed out that she looked pleased and angry at the same time. - I'm familiar with him because we went to Hogwarts almost at the same time. I was a year above him. James, we're gonna go with you to school. We are waiting for you to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore about your behavior towards your colleagues. Ah, and you'll have to apologize to Severus Snape. Until you do this, don't even think about getting anything out of the family fortune. After school you will have to go to work to earn money ...

- But darling, he's our son … - the wizard tried to intervene.

- Yes, that's our son. And we should show that every action has consequences. Lucius showed me what he called "the werewolf incident. - Dorothea's voice indicated that she was getting more and more nervous.

- I'll apologize to him and we will get it over with. We'll have to talk about our connection anyway. Maybe we can work out something. - James grunted under his breath.

- James, Severus Snape has moved to another school. He underwent a ritual that cut through soul mates. You no longer have any right to Him. I prefer not to imagine what you had to do to make this boy risk his life to get away from you. I prefer not to imagine what determination he had to go through one of the darkest rituals just so that he wouldn't be bonded with you all his life.

xxx

Durmstrang, September 1

It was cold, but he still enjoyed the walk. Again and again he thanked Merlin, Circe and Morgana for this chance. Her hand was warm with the merging their magic. Her curly hair sparkled in the sun.

- Do you regret it? - he asked, although he knew what the answer would be.

- Of course not. You are the best thing that could happen in my life. Do you regret it? - the girl's hand tangled in his black hair. Dark brown eyes studied him intently.

- No, Helen. I don't regret getting involved with YOU, my Helen Granger. - he whispered and then joined their lips in a kiss.

xxx

I sat staring at the blank screen of my notebook for words to begin the next chapter of my other story. Instead, the opening scene of that one shot flashed before my eyes. I hope you liked it;) best regards, katie-krum