At the orphange the following summer, Severus did all that was in his power to make the other children loath and fear him. While he couldn't perform magic during the summer holidays, he nonetheless made it his business to walk about muttering spells under his breath or flashing the titles of particularily gruesome Dark Arts books. It wasn't long before the other children left him alone entirely and even the adults' voices trembled in the slightest when they spoke to him.
And as alone as Severus felt in his new world, it wasn't long before he found someone as magical as himself in the orphange. The boy's name was Alexander Nott, a thin rather sneaky boy with dark lanky hair and a glowering disposition. Severus happened to look in on him hexing a little girl into frog spawn. The door had been cracked open and he'd heard the girl's shrieks in passing as she was transformed back and forth. At the sight of Severus, Alexander Nott quickly changed the little girl back into her true form, pocketed his wand, and sent her scampering tearfully from the room.
"Alexander Nott," said the boy, looking Severus up and down with his sly, blue eyes. He stepped forward and offered his hand, "You must be that new bloke, the other kid from Hogwarts."
Severus said nothing and stared with disgust at the other boy's hand.
Alexander lowered it, still watching Severus with his sly eyes. "Yeah, I heard you were a bit stuck up. And mean. People say you're mean."
Severus's lip curled, "I'd tell you what people say about you, but as no one's ever heard of you . . ."
Instead of glowering, the boy threw his head back and laughed. It was a nasty, gruff laugh, rather the way a snake would laugh if it could. He shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing to watch Severus as if he found him amusing.
"Is that what you do for fun around here?" Severus asked reluctantly at length. "Torture Muggles?"
"It's a hobby," Alexander answered, narrowing his eyes evilly. He shrugged, "Keeps me occupied."
"But don't you get in trouble with the Ministry?"
Alexander laughed again. "The Ministry? You've got to be kidding me. They're almost as stupid as the Muggles. When there's more than one underage wizard in an area, they can't tell who done the magic, see?"
"I see," Severus said almost to himself, a spark in his eye.
Alexander nodded, "Now you get it. A few other magic kids live in this area, though not the orphange, of course. We're the only ones of our kind here." His nose crinkled with distaste, as if he couldn't bear even the thought of being surrounded by so many Muggles.
"Eh, want to know a secret?"
"No," answered Severus characteristically and entered the room, peering with narrowed eyes at its contents.
The room was rather small and shabby with a grubby bed in one corner and several yellowed newspaper clippings pasted to the walls. Each clipping featured an article surrounding Voldemort's latest excursions at the time and the Ministry's feeble retaliations.
Alexander went on as eagerly as if Severus had answered yes, "There's going to be a secret meeting this summer. Down near that old cabin by the lake in that park. . . ."
Severus ignored the boy as he examined the newspaper clippings on the walls, the trinkets set on the lopsided cabinet, the Dark Art's books that held one corner of a chair up. He suddenly snatched one of the clippings down from the wall and with glittering eyes balled it up. It was an article about his mother and the murder she'd commited the summer before last.
" . . . lots of kids will be there too, kids like us," Alexander was saying, his sly eyes narrowed hungrily. "And Death Eaters. There'll be Death Eaters."
The words made Severus's head snap around.
"What did you say?"
Alexander looked evilly delighted, "Death Eaters, my friend. Didn't I mention? He's the reason for the gathering! He 's recruiting. Where have you been?"
"Death Eaters . . ." whispered Severus, unfurling the newspaper clipping once more.
If he had been a Death Eater, if he had been in Voldemort's circle, his father would never, never . . . Tobias would have fled out of fear and he and Eileen could have lived in peace, he wouldn't be in the orphanage, none of it would ever have happened. Severus threw the clipping away with sudden violence. It would never happen again! No one would ever bully him, ever touch him --
Severus spun around to face Alexander, "I'm coming."
A sly smile spread over Alexander's face, making his blue eyes into slits.