Someone was shaking him. Geoffrey woke with a start, instinctively scrambling away from whoever was touching him.
"Easy, chap," an amused voice rang out, piercing through Geoffrey's panic. "It's just me, Geoffrey. I didn't think you'd want to sleep through breakfast."
Geoffrey's eyes came into focus and he saw the cheery face of his new roommate, Justin, smiling down at him. Upon hearing himself addressed as Geoffrey, he bit back the sharp retort that had first come to mind. Geoffrey wouldn't say things like that. He mustn't make enemies here.
"Sorry, you just startled me, is all. Thank you." Geoffrey pulled himself out of bed and began scrounging for his clothes, most of which were still packed in the trunk by his bed. He chuckled to himself at the sight of the Hufflepuff colors on his new tie, not being a Slytherin would take some getting used to.
Justin was talking to him again. "Breakfast is from seven until eight-thirty, classes usually start at nine sharp, though on Thursdays I don't actually have class until ten. We'll have some of our classes altogether, like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms, but depending on which NEWTs you'll be sitting for … you do know what NEWTs are?... Anyway, you may have some different electives. Do you have your schedule yet?"
"It's over there," Geoffrey nodded towards his desk as he pulled his trousers up and began to button them.
"Hmm… let's see… well, I'm not taking Muggle Studies; that would be silly. And Arithmancy's not my thing either, nor potions, but I'll be with you for the rest."
"Silly? Why would Muggle Studies be silly?" Geoffrey didn't think he'd find any pureblood supremacists in Hufflepuff, no matter how prevalent they were in Slytherin.
Justin laughed easily. "I forgot, you don't know. I'm muggleborn – all set to attend Eton before I got my letter. So I could probably teach Muggle Studies if Professor Wentworth left. But anyway, I think Ernie's taking Potions and Arithmancy with you, and Susan's in Muggle Studies, so you'll always have some friendly faces to sit with."
That would be a novelty, thought Geoffrey, buttoning his shirt. "Great."
"Well, I'll let you finish getting ready. I'll wait for you in the Common Room. Cheerio!"
This is all too good to be true. I'm sure before the day is out, Justin and his friends will be doing their best to avoid me, Geoffrey remarked to himself as he finished dressing.
***
But the other Hufflepuffs greeted him warmly as he entered the Common Room and again when they met up with more at the breakfast table. Some of the more curious students, like Ernie and Hannah, asked him questions about himself and his life in Barbados, but Geoffrey could detect no malice in their tone. They seemed to simply be curious about their new Housemate.
Dozens of owls flew into the Great Hall for the morning mail delivery. To his surprise, a large brown owl dropped a letter in Geoffrey's lap. Curious as to who possibly would be writing him now, he opened it and read silently:
Dear Mr. Horton,
The Headmaster has arranged with Miss Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor in your year, to assist you in catching up with our curriculum. Please meet Miss Granger at four o'clock this afternoon in the Charms classroom to commence your studies.
Sincerely,
Professor P. Sprout
Head of Hufflepuff House
P.S. Congratulations on being sorted into the best house! We're so pleased to have you with us!
Geoffrey couldn't help but grin. If Professor Sprout knew who he really was, she wouldn't be so friendly – the Herbology professor he'd known had been none too pleased with him after Potter and his cronies had knocked over a whole row of belladonna seedlings and managed to blame him for it. Then again, Geoffrey was certain that Professor Sprout hadn't thought of Severus Snape in about twenty years.
***
Most of his classes went very smoothly. As promised, either Justin or one of the other Hufflepuffs partnered with him in each class and seemed happy to do it. His professors all gave him a warm welcome as well. It seemed no one disliked a new Hufflepuff – except of course the Slytherins.
Hufflepuff and Slytherin shared a common Charms class, just as they had in his day. About halfway through the practical part of the class, Geoffrey noticed a small group of Slytherin boys eyeing him with hostility. He tried to ignore them; they were no different from the majority of the students of his own time, who teased him on a daily basis. He knew he looked more presentable than his normal self, and certainly had never spoken to these boys, so what did they have to mock Geoffrey about?
He was soon to find out. After the class was dismissed, Geoffrey stopped in the hall to peek at his schedule and then found himself surrounded by Slytherin boys. The ones on either side of him were very big and looked very stupid, but the one in the middle seemed different. He was a pale blonde boy of average build who looked clever, cunning, and mean.
It was that one who snatched the schedule from his hands. "Let's see what classes Hogwarts' newest pillock is taking. He must be a moron or a mudblood to have ended up in Hufflepuff."
"Or both," added the thug on the left.
The blonde boy chuckled nastily, repeating, "Or both. Very good, Goyle, I'm impressed. Now let's see… Muggle Studies… how quaint. And Divination… it won't take a Crystal Ball to see what's in your future, and …"
"Is there a problem here, Malfoy?" Ernie MacMillan had walked up from behind Geoffrey and was now standing beside him, confronting the Slytherins. A Malfoy. I should have guessed, thought Geoffrey.
"Just helping the… new boy… with his schedule," sneered Malfoy. "We wouldn't want him to get … lost … now, would we?"
Ernie rolled his eyes, unfooled. "Sure, Malfoy, everyone knows you've got a heart of gold. Why don't you find some Slytherin first years to pick on and stay away from my friend here, are we clear?"
"And if I don't?" challenged Malfoy, looking down at the plump boy who'd stood up to him.
"If you don't, well, there's no rule against prefects docking points from other prefects, now, is there? I'd keep that in mind, if you want Slytherin to have any chance at all at winning the House Cup this year. Not that they will anyway. Come on, Geoffrey, I'll walk with you to Potions, I'm headed there myself." Ernie snatched the schedule out of Malfoy's hands and gave it back to Geoffrey. The two Hufflepuffs pushed past the Slytherins and made their way toward the dungeons.
"Pay no attention to Malfoy, he's just a little prat. He's always been rotten, but he's been unbearable since his father was killed by aurors a few months ago. That Draco is a Death Eater in training, if I ever saw one."
"Death Eater?" asked Geoffrey, curious. The term was unfamiliar to him.
"Follower of You-Know-Who, the dark lord. You are from far away, aren't you?" teased Ernie gently. "Malfoy's dad Lucius was supposedly some kind of lieutenant in You-Know-Who's inner circle. He was arrested once and sent to Azkaban, but he escaped soon after. The Death Eaters had a big raid planned, but the aurors had been tipped off about it and were waiting for them. Malfoy and some of the other Death Eaters were killed, along with several aurors and even one of our professors. Well, here we are!" They'd arrived in the dungeon where the Potions class met. The room looked remarkably similar to when he'd last seen it. Geoffrey followed Ernie to a table in the second row and sat beside him, thinking about what he'd just learned until Professor Norman arrived and began his lecture.
Ironically enough, this lesson was one Geoffrey'd had just last week, so he only halfway paid attention, confident he could brew this one without any difficulty from memory. He looked around the room to see who was in class with them. A lone Slytherin girl he didn't recognize sat frowning next to her Ravenclaw partner. Three other pairs of Ravenclaws sat clustered in the corner of the first and second rows. Hermione was there too, in the middle of the first row, seated next to a dark-haired Gryffindor boy who looked strangely familiar in a way Geoffrey couldn't quite place.
Geoffrey's eyes remained fixed on Hermione as she attentively alternated between taking notes and staring intently at the Professor. She seemed oblivious to the class around her, totally focused on the lesson. Geoffrey found himself wondering if she paid this close attention to all her classes, or if she liked Potions specially, before chiding himself about wasting time on such frivolous thoughts. He was here to do a job, after all, not to ponder the intricacies of Hermione's character. Why had she been chosen to retrieve him, though?
As predicted, Geoffrey had no difficulty performing the practical part of the lesson, even stopping Ernie from adding the beeswax until the maple had fully dissolved (much to his Housemate's relief!) So while he worked, his eyes wandered occasionally to Hermione and her partner. He was a small, skinny boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes, and still Geoffrey couldn't shake the feeling that he should know who he is. Geoffrey watched the two Gryffindors interact, silently assessing the nature of their relationship. Hermione was obviously the leader; she frequently gave the boy instruction as to how to slice his ingredients or to stir the cauldron more slowly. Geoffrey stifled a smirk as the boy nearly made the same mistake as Ernie.
The two were obviously friendly – but was that all? Geoffrey didn't notice any sappy giggling, blushing, or "accidental touching" that would have been clearly indicative of an attachment between them, but he would reserve judgment for now. He found himself hoping that they were just friends, but why? He hardly knew the girl, and it wasn't like she were particularly attractive? But then again, she was the only girl who'd ever been even remotely friendly to him. That could be tainting his impressions.
But Hermione's friendliness had an ulterior motive, Geoffrey reminded himself. She'd needed him to trust her in order to approach him about the "assignment". And now, she'd been given the task of "tutoring" him, no doubt a ruse to give them an excuse to work together on the problem of fulfilling this prophecy he was involved in. No doubt she had no interest in him personally; she wouldn't likely have any more to do with him than necessary. Geoffrey had convinced himself of the matter by the time he finished helping Ernie clean up their equipment.
But when Geoffrey exited the dungeon, Hermione and her Potions partner were standing outside the door, waiting for him. She waved him over.
"Geoffrey? I'm
Hermione Granger, and I'll be helping you after school. I just wanted to welcome you to Hogwarts, and
introduce you to my friend, Harry." Hermione
was smiling as she pretended this was their first meeting.
Friend, not boyfriend. "Hello, Hermione. Nice to meet you. And Harry." Geoffrey hoped he was acting suitably friendly. Such extroversion was alien to him and he had no experience with which to compare it.
The three began walking up the stairs toward the main part of the castle. "Good to meet you, too. I hear you're going to be playing Quidditch?" asked Harry with a smile.
"I don't know. Some of the others mentioned it at supper last night, but I thought they were joking," replied Geoffrey.
Harry laughed. "I doubt it. Not to be cruel, but the Hufflepuff team needs all the help it can get. Ever since…" Harry's voice dropped off and his expression became serious. "Well, for awhile."
Hermione also became solemn at the mention of whatever it was they weren't sharing with him. "I'm sure you two will have plenty of time to discuss Quidditch, but for now, we'd better get to class. Harry, could you tell Ron I'll see him at dinner but I'll be helping Geoffrey until then?"
"Sure," nodded Harry. "Well, nice to meet you, Geoffrey. I'm sure I'll see you around. Maybe even on the Quidditch field!"
"Bye, Geoffrey!" smiled Hermione. "I'll see you at four. You know where to go?"
Geoffrey nodded. "I'll be there." He watched as the two departed together. Who was Ron?
**
A/N: This chapter isn't particularly long, but it took awhile to formulate because it is important to see how Severus/Geoffrey adapts and reacts to his new surroundings and the people around him. Not a lot of 'action' here, but if you remember that he doesn't really know anything about his future life, you'll see a lot of interesting information dropped his way.