Part the Third

by E. M. Pink

The arrival of Tobias Snape at Hogwarts causes a mindboggling amount of trouble, most of it for Tobias himself, who is not all that he seems. Third installment in the Tobias Snape Saga. WIP. ABANDONED.

5. Chapter 5: The Making Ready

---

A/N: In which the party looms ever closer, and Tobias has an important meeting at the very end. Of the chapter, that is.

---

Chapter 5: The Making Ready

Thursday morning, Toby practically bounced out of bed, feeling unaccountably chipper for a day he knew would usher in the seemingly innocuous departure of his uncle from Hogwarts for the Party Weekend. Which was what everyone had started calling it, after news of the separate party – make that Separate Party – had spread among the students.

Like wildfire, honestly. Toby grinned to himself, ignoring the heavy feel of his now-regular morning arousal as he strolled round to the other side of his bed, meaning to root around under the bed for Iona, who had evidently chosen to sleep in her box last night.

" Iona? Psst – come on, it's time to open your little snakey eyes," Tobias whispered gently, feeling giddy with how silly he must sound. "Come on, girl, wake up – "

"Do you know you sound like you're talking to a lover?" Toby blinked, tensing slightly as he heard the distinct noise of Draco – it had to be him this morning, didn't it – "The way you carry on with that snake's disgusting, sometimes." Toby forced a less hostile look on his face, then suddenly remembered that he could always turn it into something more longing, more wistful, something that would suit –

"Draco, if you want another chance with me, you only have to ask – "

"Oh, for heaven's sake – " Draco's head appeared from the sanctum of the green curtains around his bed, followed by his bare torso. His unmarked, unharmed, perfectly smooth torso. "Just drop it, I know you don't like men – "

Tobias tried not to grind his teeth, and was surprised to find that the desire to take a sharp knife to that torso was easier to dismiss this morning. Besides, there were far less dangerous ways to piss the idiot off –

"Because I'd drop Tracey for you in a heartbeat, in a heartbeat, I swear – "

"Oh, so you're really fucking her, then?" Tobias' face flooded with pink as he finally found Iona's box, suddenly feeling like Draco could see his arousal from two beds away, could see his pathetic crush on her from that distance – "Because I'd love to know how you managed to get her to talk to you," Draco continued, a definite leer colouring his tone now. "She never talks to me – "

"I'm not surprised, what with that attitude you've got," Toby said, only managing to keep himself from snapping. "Though it's no surprise considering how prudish you pretend to be. You really don't know anything, do you?" He lifted the lid off Iona's box carefully, not wanting to startle her. "There's only so far you can force someone into something they don't want to do, and there's only so far you can get with that kind of approach – "

Draco snorted derisively. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, you know, with all your flashy spells and your dodgy borderline 'defence' crap. You act like there's not fifty different spells for that kind of thing – "

"Which is moot if you can't get that kind of thing without resorting to magic," Tobias said, cutting him off as he tried to peer into the box without moving it. "Oh, come on you lazy thing – " He dragged the box out, wanting desperately to involve himself in something other than this useless conversation with someone he was more likely to murder than to chat to, and found – "Fuck." – nothing. "Fuck, fuck and fuck – "

"It's really on your mind, isn't it?"

"Fucking shut up," Toby ordered, rising swiftly to his feet, eyes scanning the floor and the area around his bed already. "Stay in your bed, you idiot – " Draco, paused in the act of slipping out of bed, rolled his eyes at him.

"Look, just because you're giving some stupid little party this weekend – "

"Does death by snakebite sound good to you?" Toby spat, pulling apart the curtains and rifling through his messy sheets.

"What do you mean, death by…" Draco's voice trailed off as he, no doubt, realised that Tobias was serious. "Do you mean – you can't find your snake? Your poisonous snake?"

"Make that poisonous missing snake and stay in your bed," Tobias snapped in return, fishing out his wand to try a tracking spell. "My anti-venom's in my trunk, and my trunk is very, very locked this morning, so I suggest you stay there until I've found her."

"You don't mean to say," Draco said, incredulously, "that you wouldn't open your fucking trunk just to get out anti-venom to save one of our lives?"

"I'm not warding that thing again," Toby said, carefully going through the clothes strung round and about Crabbe's bed, which was beside his own.

"You heartless bastard – "

"It took me three hours and a cup of blood to get that spell right, Draco dearest," Toby reeled off, the details of the fake spell already coming together in his mind, just in case – "Forgive me if I'm not quite ready to go through all that again, just because some fool couldn't keep still in his bloody bed."

"And the part where it's your damn snake that's missing doesn't mean anything to you, I suppose?" Draco demanded, his voice getting higher and higher in volume as he went on. "I can't believe this – "

"You know, you're pretty lucky she's all but deaf," Toby lied, casting a careful, low-grade sensing charm around Crabbe's bed just to make sure Iona wasn't tangled somewhere in the covers, or hidden between the headboard of the bed and the wall, or something. "She'd probably have bitten you by now, if she was in your bed." Draco turned a satisfying shade of red at that, which would have been more gratifying if Toby could just find that damned snake and –

"Hey, Theo – "

"Piss off, Draco," came the automatic murmur as the curtains around Theo's bed shivered open. "Hey, Toby, what – "

" Iona's out, Theo. Stay still, I'll find her – "

" Iona – what? What d'you mean, out – "

"What is wrong with all of you?" Blaise's voice pronounced, sounding tired and angry and very much like Blaise in the mornings. "For fuck's sake if you're getting up now, get up and get out quietly – "

"Can everyone just shut up?" Toby half-shouted. "The reason it's noisy is that my damn snake's gotten the jump on all of us, and I can't find her, and I'm not interested in seeing anyone die this morning, so stay. In. Your. BEDS!" Shocked silence greeted him as he headed for Draco's bed next, ignoring the look of well-concealed fear on his face as he blazed a tracking spell over it, no longer worried about what might happen to anyone in his dorm. The way the other boys – now all awake except Goyle – were twitching and stealthily reaching for their wands boded ill for Iona's health, and the last thing Toby wanted to do was indirectly cause her harm. After she'd saved him, after she'd led him on that torturous path to –

"Toby, I think you need to calm down," Theo said slowly, his voice as calm as his suggestion. Toby disregarded it, moving down to Goyle's bed with a singleness of purpose that seemed to boil within him, suddenly only able to think of how he'd be alone in the school, totally without real allies if Iona got hurt, or died. Severus would have to leave anyway, wouldn't he? He couldn't be seen to care – he'd probably have to twit him about it in public – "Toby – "

"Be quiet." Toby cringed inwardly at the stony aspect of his voice, and could only think he'd never sounded more like his uncle in his life –

What's all the noise about? someone seemed to say, and Toby suddenly stiffened, as had everyone else in the room, because that was her, and Toby sighed in relief as he ducked down carelessly to see if – right. There she was, all curled up next to some box that was vibrating and giving off heat, looking for all the world like she'd just been taking some kind of morning constitutional.

"There you are," Toby said, closing his eyes so it wouldn't come out in – that language, coaxing Iona out onto his left arm as firmly as he could, baring his arm as much as he could with his other arm engaged in drawing her closer to him. "Come on – good girl – "

I don't see why I cannot be warm, Iona lamented noisily, grudgingly succumbing to his coaxing. Your bed gets cold when you are gone –

"You wanted to be warm, didn't you? Silly thing, I can put you in your box, but only if you don't run away," Toby said, fighting the almost hypnotic slurring of his speech as hard as he could, ignoring the spooked looks they were all giving him now. "I'll turn up your heating charm, okay?"

"She can't hear you, you twit," Draco muttered, quailing under a swift look from Toby. "Merlin, all that trouble over a fucking animal – "

"Snake breeding," Tobias said tightly, manoeuvring a still-grumbling Iona into her box, "is an ancient and revered art. It is not my fault that the Snapes have the touch, and your family does not. Mock her again," he continued, firmly shutting Iona inside the box, "and we'll have a little test to see if she can really hear me or not, when I tell her not to keep biting you – "

"Toby, Draco, drop it," Blaise ordered, giving Toby a very slightly pleading look. "Can everyone just stop with the noise? Toby's got Iona back now, so there's no reason why Goyle and I can't sleep in like we want to – "

"Goyle's doing just fine," Draco insisted.

"And I'm not, and if I hear any more arguing this morning, I'm going to start throwing hexes," Blaise said coldly, poking his bleary head out of the hangings. "Yes, Draco, that includes you. Now fucking shut up." The dark head disappeared once more, leaving Draco with a hard look on his face and a twitch in his wand hand, and leaving Tobias more than a little surprised at that display. Blaise had always been bad-tempered in the morning and full of dire threats to noisemakers, but he'd never gone so far as to actually threaten Draco directly since Toby got here –

"Come on, Toby, we need to talk," Theo said hurriedly, floating his slightly crumpled uniform and towel after him. Toby followed suit, ignoring Draco's nasty glare on the way out because the happiness of his waking was gradually filtering back into him. By the time he reached the already busy showers behind an interestingly silent Theo, he was positively smirking again, unable to stop gloating at how well everything looked to be turning out. "Right, what the hell was all that about, anyway?"

"Morning blues," Toby said, shrugging as he put a strong water-repelling charm on his clothes and piled them beside Theo's own messy set. The noise of water and boys discussing Quidditch and the merits of girls seemed to absorb them both into the steamy atmosphere in the room, and it was oddly comforting, reminiscent of Gryffindor in a way that made Toby feel like looking round for – for his old friends. God, I've got to stop thinking like this in the mornings – "Well, on Blaise's part, anyway. I don't know what Draco's problem is with me, sometimes – "

"Apart from the fact that you're constantly baiting him?" Toby grinned at his friend's droll assessment of it.

"Well, I do try…" Theo snorted, scratching sleepily at his head as they killed time in front of the showers upon discovering that all of them were full.

"It's the territory thing, I think. He's been so – you know, looked at, watched, like the way the entire fifth year of Ravenclaws is always staring at you at lunch – " Theo ducked a slightly off-target Jelly-Legs, laughing out loud as it was absorbed into the damp stone wall nearby. "I'm serious, really," he said, breath back under control as he ignored Toby's mock-glare. "He used to complain about it sometimes, but we all knew he really enjoyed it. He was worse than Potter, honestly, and now – now that you're here, everyone rarely looks at him, and – "

"Just shut up, will you? It's not like I enjoy it – "

"You do," Theo crowed, ignoring the fact that Toby was heading for a just-vacated shower stall, "…well…maybe not as much as Draco, Toby, but come on, you're always late for lunch so everyone watches you when you come in – "

"And?" Toby called back.

"And you're constantly being nice to all the girls," Theo went on, voice getting farther as he possibly entered another vacated stall, the smirk so strong in his tone that Toby could practically see it on his face. "You know how it affects them, and you just keep on doing it – "

"So you're saying I should be a rude berk to the girls, or something?"

"Actually, I don't think that would work, they'd probably be taken with you acting like you lived in a paper bag."

"And I disagree, because girls don't like berks," Toby said, matter-of-factly, despite the fact that he did sort of know it was quite a lie. Look at how people had been about Ja- ah. He turned around in the shower, hastily clearing his mind of the thought before it could blossom fully in his mind. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing such as being too careful there.

"Berks, yes, handsome, sexy Romanian berks, no." Thankfully, Toby added in his mind, getting ready to disagree anyway. As berkish as he was supposed to look like, he'd draw the line at being needlessly arrogant.

Or at least try to have some semblance of humility or confusion, really. "What does my being Romanian have anything to do with – "

"Say something in Romanian, then."

"What – what does that – "

"In Romanian, Toby."

«You're a fucking idiot.» Tobias paused, irritation threading lightly through him as Theo practically giggled. As right as his friend was, this was starting to feel like a slightly embarrassing waste of time. "What the hell does that prove, anyway?"

"That you have an accent, and girls here are always going to like you for it. Face it, Toby – you're too sexy not to lose our bet – "

"Oh is that what this is about?" Toby cut in, feeling relieved that he could latch on to something that didn't involve discussing his sexy points any more than necessary. He really had to be careful with topics like this around Theo in the future…

" – because even I wouldn't refuse a dance with you if you asked. You're just that sexy."

"Shut up."

Theo merely laughed, and, a few minutes later, began to sing to some horrid, off-key tune of his own making. "Tobias is too sexy, too sexy to win – "

"Shut it or I'll shut it for you, Nott – "

"Ooh, are you going to kiss him, Snape? Come on, you two, give us a show!" Toby contained an indignant splutter as someone sniggered in the background. That idiot had sounded oddly like Draco, but not quite –

"Theo, remember that hex I used on everyone first morning I was here?" Toby made sure to keep his voice as carefree and light as he could, the sudden irritation clouding his head practically preventing him from hearing Theo's slightly distressed answer.

"You bastard, I'm just having a laugh, I didn't – "

"But I'm fine with that, Theo," Toby said, trying to contain his sudden desire to take out his wand and set up a Ring of Pain so bloody painful that no one would be able to contain their screams – "I just want to make you cry, after your little laugh – "

" – cry out in lust, oh, fuck yeah, give it to me, Toby – " Now that was Draco, sounding a little unconvincing in his – er – role as a bedroom partner –

"Draco, fuck off!" …and that was Theo, taking issue as always, though Toby couldn't blame him in the least –

" – oh harder, Toby, harder – " Toby rolled his eyes at the slightly drawn-out whine, and just stuck his head out of the shower. There wasn't any time for the violent argument that would probably ensue between Draco and his angry friend, who were now glaring at each other over by the sinks, so he'd just have to put a stop to it –

"Oh, piss off, Draco. You're not even convincing…" And there, Draco was looking round with an angry look on his face, and not paying attention to Theo any more.

"Can't take your own medicine, can you, Snape?"

"Correction, Draco, I won't take it. Know why? Because I'm not adverse to using the Adnitor on you until the only thing you resemble is the lump of shit you are. So you'll shut up and wash out your filthy mouth, understand?" Silence reigned in the shower room, the only sounds the ones of awkward washing and whispers of and about his threat, and Toby felt a hot thread of satisfaction burn through him again. He wondered briefly who had actually started the stupid argument as he ducked back into the shower to rinse himself off, but put it at the back of his mind as something to consider later, maybe even examine in the penseive session he was sure would follow the raid and the parties. "And people fucking don't sound like that, Draco, there's more of a breathy whining thing going on – "

"Why don't you just stuff it up your arse, you fucking Romanian halfwit – "

"Let it go, Draco, we all know you've only been with your hand," Toby shot back easily, stepping as arrogantly out of the shower as he could bear to and smirking as Draco stiffened and averted his eyes on his way into the one next to him. "Oh go on, take a look, I'm sure you need fresh material by now – "

Theo's bitterly sarcastic voice interrupted him. "Yeah, your hand must be hurting you by now – six years of constant wanking does that to a person – "

"Take that back, you – you – "

"Merlin, the two of you are like rabid dogs around each other," Toby quickly interrupted, not wanting to bother to even try to referee the impending confrontation. He accio-ed both sets of their clothes, apprehension mounting in him as Theo barely even noticed, moving angrily towards Draco's shower. "Come on, Theo, Tracey's probably wondering where we are – "

"Oh, so he's in on it, eh?" Draco said, smirking as he stuck his head out of the shower he was now occupying. Toby sighed, thanking his stars that he was now near enough to grab his friend's arm, knowing it might actually be useless at this point in time. "Who does he fuck, Snape, you or the Davis whore?"

"You take that back – " Theo said after a moment of strangled protest, starting to struggle out of Tobias' grip, something which he cautiously decided to put a stop to almost immediately, preparing to cast the most careful Calming charm he knew. "I'm warning you, Draco – "

"You know, they probably want your stinking little prick out of the equation by now, Theo. Tracey probably wants it from a real man, now – "

"Oh go find someone to fuck," Toby said amiably, relishing how Draco's face darkened. "It'll help, I promise. Later, Draco…" He hustled a calm-ish Theo out of the shower room as fast as he could, practically shoving him into the near-empty dormitory, where Blaise was finally getting ready to go for his own shower.

"Take it off me," Theo said, immediately, gulping with repressed fury.

"What?" Toby said, ignoring the way Theo was staring and staring at him. "I didn't – "

"Yes, you did. Now, take it off."

Toby gave Theo a long, hard look, not even trying to pretend the innocent look on his face was real. "All right, then, as long as you don't start foaming at the mouth. Finite."

"You're one to talk," spat Theo, making Blaise look up from his half-arsed preparations with surprise. "So you're telling me you're the only one allowed to bait him – "

"Yes," Tobias found himself saying cockily, giving his fuming friend a mock-challenging look. "If I can't have him, then…"

"Oh give it up!" Theo shouted, voice going strangled with some emotion Toby wasn't quite sure he even wanted to know the root of – "You're not gay, he's not gay, he doesn't fancy you, so fuck off talking about it!"

"Theo, calm down," Blaise said, pausing as Theo began to move angrily across the room towards his bed. "He was only – "

"Only joking? Don't give me that, Blaise, you've never been on the end of Draco's little fucking phobia, have you? I've had to listen to – to that," he said, voice going deathly quiet, "for three years. Three fucking years, and you," he said, gesturing violently in Toby's appalled direction, "have no right joking about what you don't understand."

"Just as you've got no right assuming what I do and don't understand," Toby said quickly, voice forcedly calm. There was no point comparing battle scars here, really – he couldn't afford it, to say the least. "Look, I'm going down for breakfast – "

Theo sniffed insultingly. "Running away, more like it – "

"Believe what you want, Theo. All I know is there's no point talking with you if you're too angry to think." Or, rather, if I can't quite read your mind without getting hit in the face – "See you in Charms, Blaise…?" Blaise gave him a slow nod, still wavering in the doorway as Toby slipped rapidly into his clothes and began to head out, ignoring the deeply discomfiting way Theo glared at him the entire way out.

Toby sighed as soon as he was free of the hostile atmosphere in his dorm, wondering how on earth everything was going to come together for the party and everything else now. He couldn't afford this, for bloody –

"Hey," someone deliciously familiar said as they bumped into him on his way into the Common Room. "In a hurry this morning, are we?"

"Morning, Tracey," Toby said, suddenly finding that he was in great peril of staring firmly below her face. His brain seemed to drop all the way down to there when she gave him what seemed like a dazzling smile and nudged him along, looping her arm through his as they threaded through the sleepy, thinning crowd in the room. It really isn't fair, the way this crush has gotten into me, he thought a little dazedly, trying consciously not to breathe in the fresh scent of the fuzzy, damp little curls that batted him in the face as she turned to look behind them briefly. "Have a good night?"

"Couldn't bloody sleep," was the abrupt answer as she seemed to give up on trying to see something, turning her face a little up to his, making him shiver and think dreamily of his cock in her – mind out of gutter, you – "Millie's shagging it up with this seventh year who found their way round the charms, and – "

"Let me guess, no silencing charms?" Toby battled briefly against the intoxicating pictures suddenly fighting for ascendance in his brain, trying to stop thinking of cocks and curly hair and –

"Badly done ones, I think," she said lowly, biting guiltily at her lip. "God but it was a bad deal – there'd be no sound for fifteen minutes and then I'd just hear this oh – " Tobias only just managed to laugh instead of asking something profoundly stupid ("Would you like to let me show you how to say that on your own instead?" coming a disturbingly close second to "You sound so bloody sexy saying that") as Tracey giggled a little, that sound playing even more havoc with –

Oh wait, shouldn't I be talking? Or –

"You know, I think something's going round in our house," he said wryly, thinking back to the actually not quite badly faked sounds Draco had been forcing out. "Fucking seems to be on the collective brain – "

"Oh, so it's not on yours?"

"Dear me, no – my adoration for Draco has simply spoilt me for anything less than making love, I'll have you know."

Tracey gave him a terribly amused look as they rounded the corner, passing two Slytherins engaged in some heated discussion or other. "You're still doing that, eh? I heard he actually hid, the first time we ganged up on him…" Toby shrugged, feeling oddly comfortable as he grinned at her again – at least she wasn't going to take him to task over that.

Not that she'd even quite know why to do so, or anything…

"I'm not quite sure about that – he certainly wasn't in the room when I ducked in for a much-needed shower – "

"Why'd you need it?"

Toby looked down sharply, and saw an interestingly ambiguous expression on her face as they separated briefly to ascend the stuffy stairwell. "Was sweaty from practice, that's all."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that – "

"The sound of what?" Toby asked, suppressing the sudden urge to elaborate, to add something to that offhand statement. My voice? The fact that I might just jump you soon enough if you aren't careful, using my skills to wow you into moaning my name, and gripping at my –

"You make even practice sound dirty," she giggled again. "God, me – never thought I'd call anything a Snape said sexy – "

"You really think I'm sexy?" Tobias said, trying and failing to sound anything but slightly plaintive. He looked up briefly to ascertain where all the buzzing was coming from, and was rather shocked to find that they had just entered the Great Hall.

"In a word, yes," Tracey said absently, tugging him along when he almost stilled in shock and – right, not defining any thoughts right now – "I'm not quite sure what it is, but you've definitely got it. In sacks."

Toby took several deep breaths as they finally reached the emptyish Slytherin, ignoring the looks and whispers as best as he could so he could make conversation without sounding like a berk. Then, as they sat down, he realised he hadn't said anything since he'd winked at a blushing Hannah Abbot (feeling vaguely guilty as he did so for encouraging her obvious fascination with him), and hustled to make amends to his partner (breakfast partner. Not like she'd agree to be anything more. Or like I'll ask) as soon as he'd snagged the piece of toast he was most interested in.

"So you'll be on Theo's side with the whole bet thing?" Tracey looked a little startled, but hardly missed a beat as she took a sip of her apple juice, obviously thinking it through.

"Probably, yeah," she said, quite seriously. "I've bet on you – or am yet to bet on you getting snubbed only forty percent of the time, so I'm not exactly an ardent supporter – "

"Forty, eh? What about Theo?" Toby probed, feeling oddly magnanimous towards her after that little confession. It just felt interesting to have someone not think he was infallible after all, but not think he was completely useless either.

Unfortunately, Tracey wasn't feeling half as magnanimous with her answers as Toby was hoping she would. "Not telling."

"Why not?" he demanded, knowing his tone was low and that the look on his face was probably Faintly Dangerous. Perfect for these moments, in fact – "I could make you – "

" – ah, but you wouldn't. We're in public, you see."

Toby rolled his eyes, and, feeling the faintly dangerous look on his face turn into something more challenging without his even having to think about it, praised someone unnamed and very special for agreeing to his unnamed and equally special training with Severus. "And?"

"Ooh, go ahead and spank me, then."

"My pleasure," Toby murmured, leaning over suggestively, knowing she'd refuse in a moment –

"Piss off, you idiot, I didn't mean it," she snapped, rolling her eyes at his roguish smile in a very sort of sort-of-pleased-but-not-quite-wanting-him-to-know-it way, which made him tingle down there yet again. "And I won't tell you because Theo's not here, and you can ask him yourself if you really want to know."

"What does Theo not being here have to do with – "

"Because the fact that he's not here and he still hasn't come down to breakfast probably means he's upset, and the fact that you're not with him means it's probably at you." Toby fidgeted slightly, wanting to curse her attentiveness almost as much as he wanted to curse himself for not being careful to control things without looking like it earlier downstairs in the dungeons.

"Well, fine, so he's not quite happy with me right now – "

"Not quite happy doesn't cover coming down to breakfast on time, Toby," Tracey said giving him one of those 'You might as well admit it' looks that he'd half thought only Hermione and perhaps Ginny had the right to know how to give off like that. "You know how he is about being on time, just as much as I do, so it's definitely not like – "

"Fine, I'll admit he's very angry – "

"Why?"

"Well – "

"Well…?" Toby sighed. She was definitely not giving him an inch, and it wasn't annoying so much as completely aggravating, despite its potential usefulness to him – he hardly knew what exactly had driven Theo up the wall, and hadn't even begun to think about his probably close guesses like he should have. This would help, despite the discomfort of Tracey grilling him like she was born to it. Despite the fact that he didn't quite mind it as much as he probably should, being talked to like this, but anyway –

"Me, him and Draco were having this stupid little toss-up in the showers, right, and it was looking like getting a bit out of hand, so I sort of intervened."

"Sort of."

"Yes." Tobias winced, but refused to volunteer anything more before being asked for it – that was the way to looking suspicious, strangely enough. Being reasonable, and agreeing with everyone –

"Sort of, meaning you quietly and calmly asked Theo to calm down 'sort-of', or – "

"I sort of put a calming charm on him," Toby admitted, the odd feeling that he was sitting here talking to Hermione intensifying. Except for the fact that he was still sort of suppressing the urge to eye up her tits –

"A calming charm?" Tracey said, expression sceptical, voice just this edge of disapproving, just like – Toby suppressed a nervous gulp – just like it was when she was talking to (or rather, snapping at) Draco.

"He'd probably have kicked me in balls if I hadn't," he pointed out, a little sheepishly, inner Severus already well into the berating stage. "Fine, I know it was probably stupid – " Which you were. Denying a supposed ally of his chance to prove himself, as foolish and immature as it might have been. You really are a fool –

"Are you really friends with Theo at all?" she asked, cutting him off. "Because that was just…probably about the most infuriating thing you could do to him, I think." Tobias sighed, poking at his pile of sausages, appetite suddenly quite gone.

"Really?" No, inner Severus replied sarcastically, before he could stop himse – itself – god, this was confusing. Tracey sighed.

"Really. I admit, it is like you to take the unsubtle approach – "

"Me, unsubtle?" Toby said, making sure he sounded dutifully outraged, ignoring the inward snort he was so damned sure Severus would have replied with, with a nasty smile and possibly nastier illustration added to boot –

"You," Tracey said, rolling her eyes again, "are probably about the most unsubtle boy I've ever met."

"You're joking," Toby replied, his inner Severus ominously silent, hoping his voice wasn't really shaking as much as it sounded like it was. Christ. Merlin on the North Tower, he could be fucked, just because he was so – Severus had told him, had warned him –

"I'm not – sometimes, you're really transparent," Tracey was saying easily, paused in the act of polishing off her jam sandwich. "I mean, anyone with the eyes to see knows that you can't stand Draco, for whatever reason. That's actually why I thought you were friends with Theo at first, because Draco can't stand Theo at all – "

"That was the last reason I'd – "

"And that whole bet thing was just…" she shrugged her shoulders, eyes narrowing as she seemed to try to think of a word to describe whatever she was – "…weird. Like you were trying to prove something. Because you obviously know how attractive you really are – "

"Not really," he couldn't help insisting, fingering his goblet reluctantly, really hoping that she was actually being honest about her ever-so-slightly-off predictions about him.

"And the whole thing with your uncle is just…" she shrugged, shaking her head. "You really don't seem to care that he hates you. And he's the only relative or person you really know in, what, a thousand-mile radius…?" she tried again, but Toby wasn't quite listening, because the roaring triumph in his ears was so loud –

"It's like mutual friendship," he said, shamelessly borrowing something Severus had said to him much earlier, "just without the friendship." At her dubious look, he continued, getting into his stride. "That's just how our family is, really. You learn to put up with it or go mad, eventually…"

"Bully for you, then," she said, voice a little softer than before. "Just – Theo's really not that way, I think. All the teasing Draco's done, all the remarks and everything, and then you just – just silence him when he's fighting back. I don't know how to say it, but – "

"Well," Toby said slowly, relief settling in his chest. "When you put it that way…" She gave him a terse little smile.

"So, you understand why I won't tell you, eh? Fair enough."

"Fine." Tobias looked down at his hands for a minute as she continued to eat messily beside him, wondering if he should bother. It seemed, at once, the stupidest thing he could possibly want to know, as well as something that might ease the atmosphere between them a little bit (which was very, very smart, of course), but still – he sighed. Fine, indeed. "But I wanted to ask – "

Tracey rolled her eyes, sighing. "Merlin, do you ever give up? I've already said – "

"I've got just one more different question, just one more, I swear – " She sighed irritably, stretching easily across him to get at the marmalade on the other side of his plate. He tried not to suck in his breath noisily as she brushed against him, and restrained a blush at the stupidity he was probably about to exhibit.

"I know you'll ask anyway," she said pointedly, spreading the marmalade in an interesting pattern, "Just go ahead."

It was niggling at him, and would probably keep on doing so, so instead of replacing his foolish question with a more sensible, banal one, he opened his mouth again and prepared to let it stumble out. Foolishly. Although he probably wouldn't sound that way, because his voice was now –

Right. Ask.

"You said I had 'it', or something, but I was wondering why in sacks?" Tracey stared blankly at him for a moment, then began laughing, almost hysterically, gripping the marmalade so hard that it worried him just a bit – "Tracey, are you…"

"In sacks," she gasped, finally giving up on the marmalade and thumping it back on his side. "I just reamed you out – 'bout Theo – you ask – in sacks – " Toby smiled awkwardly, not quite understanding why on earth she was laughing so hard.

After that, the rest of breakfast wasn't so hard to get through. Toby forced himself to leave the table when it was clear that Blaise and Theo probably wouldn't make it, and he and a slightly pitying Tracey were only just in time for the first lesson of the day, which was Charms.

---

"Settle down, settle down," Professor Flitwick kept saying, even as more almost-but-not-quite-late students streamed into the airy classroom, two of whom were Toby and Tracey. They found themselves sharing a desk with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Wayne Hopkins (a Hufflepuff sixth year that practically lit up when he realised Tobias would be sitting next to him) near the front of the class, and were therefore in an excellent position to see Theo come in on his own, looking horribly sullen.

Toby sighed inaudibly. Theo had avoided even looking his way despite the fact that the only empty seat was actually only the desk behind them. He eventually found his way to it, but by that time Flitwick was briskly ordering for quiet as he began to speak on the topic for today, which looked to be another delving into the subject of Conjuration. Today they were going to be Conjuring water in various forms and learning in general about it, and Toby couldn't quite care less.

Honestly, who would, when the lesson would likely only contain vague charms for conjuring water, ice and steam? Toby sneered – he'd learned things like that quite a while ago, and from a far more demanding and far less restrictive teacher, and really had no desire to conjure water in streams with his classmates today. Unless it somehow involved wetting Tracey down thoroughly.

Tracey smiled at him as Flitwick began the demonstration, and Toby didn't hold back his slightly savage response. Maybe, just maybe he could arrange for that to happen…

"Why are you grinning at me like that?" she asked suspiciously, voice prudently low, and Toby saw no reason not to tell her.

"I was just thinking how interesting it would be to turn that water conjuring charm on you," he replied, tone cuttingly honest. "I'd finally see how thin you really are, you know – "

"And here I was thinking you didn't have a dirty mind," came the amused reply. "Really, it's disappointing."

"Oh come on, you can't say that the idea doesn't have its merits. It's hard to carry on an illicitly torrid romance with someone if you've no earthly idea what they really look like." Tracey stifled a giggle as Flitwick droned on, and Toby continued in the same vein, abandoning the pretence that he was writing notes at the same time. "There's also the fact that Draco'd probably die of a heart attack, into the bargain. What's not to love?" But evidently something about that idea wasn't quite as funny as he'd hoped, because Tracey, despite her low giggles, didn't look as amused as she had a second ago, causing Toby to want to kick himself.

What was it about Draco that set her so on edge? Theo's thing he could understand, and even Blaise's, to an extent. As far as Tobias had been able to tell, Draco had never been very pleasant to anyone except Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, and maybe Daphne Greengrass. But Tracey, who he was always sucking up to…? It boggled the mind.

Toby sighed and shifted in his seat, preparing to go another round of teasing what on earth he'd said wrong out of someone, only to discover that a highly irritated-looking Flitwick was standing right in front of their desk.

"Mr. Snape? If you'll please demonstrate the charm, seeing as you have such a grasp of it that you don't need," Flitwick waved at his empty roll of parchment, causing it to take flight and display its meaningless doodles all-too-prominently to the class, "to take notes." The parchment slithered down to Tobias' desk and rolled up with a quick snap. "I don't believe I need to remind you that the incantation is Aguamenti…?"

"No, Professor Flitwick," Toby replied, cheeks colouring as he stood up, wand in hand. Flitwick eyed him suspiciously, then swiftly conjured a glass and set it, hard, on the desk before them.

"Begin." The word was almost snapped, for Flitwick, and Toby allowed himself a moment of bitter reflection as to why on earth he had to play this character that teachers seemed to dislike on sight so easily, then waved his wand, whispering the correct incantation. Water streamed smoothly from it into the glass, the stream ceasing abruptly just as the glass became full. Toby gave Flitwick a slightly more defiant glance than was necessary, but did not dare sit down. It was one thing to look Snape and sneer and be unfailingly rude and disrespectful to authority, and it was entirely another thing to actually step over the fine line between annoying a professor that could probably make or break his plans for the Separate Party and really annoying one. "Such control, Mr. Snape. Care to share how it was taught to you?"

Toby blinked. Flitwick had a cagey, crafty sort of expression on his face that, in the context of what he'd just asked him, gave cause for alarm. But really, he could hardly smirk and say he wasn't going to answer useless questions. Only his uncle could likely get away with such outrageous behaviour, so…

"Practice and determination," he offered, a little tonelessly. Flitwick nodded, and made a sort of impatient gesture Toby took to mean he could sit down again.

"No, really, Mr. Snape, I'd like a detailed answer," he said brightly, Banishing the water in Toby's glass with a careless flick of his wand.

Toby's eyes narrowed, and he tried briefly to convince himself that Flitwick didn't actually mean him any real harm by asking something like that. "For a year, my uncle made me fill one or two glasses that way every day. As I said, it's just practice – "

"Ah, but practice proves insufficient in learning finer spells. And yet, Professor Vadim continues to enthuse to me about your mastery, especially in the field of defensive Charms," Flitwick returned. The whole class, which had been fidgeting and gossiping quietly amongst themselves as usual, started to really pay attention. "Such control, in one so young…it worries me somewhat, actually. It takes experience, Snape, such that you cannot already have obtained at such a young age – " Toby stared at him. The only place he could see this going was an uncomfortable one –

"Professor, I really don't understand what all this has to do with Conjuring water," Toby said, adding a very real tone of boredom to his reply. It was really starting to look as if Flitwick was suspicious of him somehow…and, despite the fact that it was probably a very prudent stance to take at a time like this, it bothered Toby a great deal. Professor Flitwick had always been a sort of flighty, benevolent constant to him as – well, before, and despite the guardedness the man had displayed towards him so far, he'd never really come out and hinted at his mistrust of Tobias.

Not that that would really be bad for his plans in any way. Toby suppressed the desire to fidget as Flitwick gave him a thoroughly assessing glance. The truth of the matter, as he well knew, was that it would only enhance his credibility as an unscrupulous young Slytherin if someone as genial as Flitwick didn't appear to trust him.

That didn't mean it wouldn't feel horribly wrong when Flitwick finally said so, of course.

"If you'll just be patient, I will get to my point, Mr. Snape." Flitwick toddled over to his desk and sat down. "As all of you should know by this point in your studies, Charms is an all-encompassing subject, and includes all sorts of diverse spells. However, one of the principles behind the subject takes into account the lack of experience of every student, and their related inability to cast a Charm beyond a certain level of strength and effectiveness." Toby tried not to let his eyes widen – someone had to be joking, here – "Which is the reason I am so curious as to your methods, Mr. Snape. Such experience, such control," he stressed the word, "is so uncommon at your age – "

"I'm afraid I really don't know how to answer your question, Professor Flitwick," Toby got out slowly, trying not to let himself look in Ron or Hermione's direction. He'd expected distrust, but not like this –

"Really, Mr. Snape?"

"Really, Professor," Toby replied, through gritted teeth, feeling the eyes of everyone in the classroom devolve upon him as Flitwick nodded slowly.

God, this was so much the equivalent of painting a 'He's so Evil' sign right over his head that it was unbelievable –

"Such a shame," Flitwick murmured, giving him a sharp look. "Well, then, class. Wands out! On your feet, everyone – we'll all try the charm at the same time…"

---

Toby tried not to slam the door as he left Flitwick's classroom, mostly because he did know that Tracey was following him out, and that other people were doing so as well. Even so, releasing his seething frustration right now was the only thing he could think of, and that was even worse, because, because of the damned Separate Fucking Party, he had to meet with a group of influential people from different houses he and Blaise had sounded out over the past few days, and he had to do it in the only free time he really had to devote to any sort of frustration release today: during lunchtime.

Perhaps walking into their joint Transfiguration class angry wouldn't help anything, but honestly, right now, Toby couldn't care less. Couldn't care about the plan, about the Party, about the official party, about what or who he was supposed to be or impress or deceive and he just wanted. Out.

"Everything all right?" Tracey's soft question only served to frustrate him more. No, everything was not all right! He was in Hogwarts! He wasn't himself! Flitwick was practically accusing him of using some kind of Dark method to learn a fucking water-conjuring charm, and Theo – "Are you going to sit down any time today?" Toby glared in Tracey's direction before he could stop himself, and tried to contain the odd desire to follow it up with a cold smile as she flinched, just a little.

Silence stretched uncomfortably between them for a second as other students bustled into the classroom around them, and then someone thumped down beside Tracey on the opposite side of Toby, and when he looked up from his nervously doodling, clenching hands, he discovered that it was Theo.

Breathe, Toby told himself. Just breathe.

"I saw that," Theo said quietly, as Professor McGonagall began to call out directions to the mostly seated class. "Heard it, too. That how you treat all your friends, Toby?"

"Theo, just leave it," Tracey started to mutter, but McGonagall had suddenly appeared in front of their little group, Blaise hovering nervously behind her, and before Theo could protest, was practically barking out instructions to the slightly startled group.

"Miss Davies, please sit by Miss Granger. You're far ahead of Nott and Snape by now, they'll only slow your progress down, especially since neither of them has yet to see anything significant in their trances." She gave Theo and Toby hard looks, her eyes seeming to linger more on Toby. "Unless either of you has had some sort of breakthrough in the past two days of repeating your homework…?" Theo shook his head, outwardly contrite, and Toby tried to stop his already-forming derisive glare from being quite so much of a derisive glare. "I thought not. Miss Davies, please move."

Tracey nodded, sucking in a nervous breath as she piled together her books and roll of parchment, tapping the pile firmly so it rose off the desk. "Look after my bag, all right, Theo?" She got up, began to squeeze past a very disgruntled-looking Theo, then paused, as if remembering to say something. "And don't let him bully you into thinking he thinks you're an idiot. It's all part of the Snape thing, you know?" She gave him a nervous smile as she squeezed past, resolutely avoiding Toby's eye with a determination that left him momentarily speechless.

It didn't last. "What in the buggering hell does she think – "

"Wow – can you believe that, Theo? I think he lasted all of five seconds…" Blaise gave him a slightly gleeful grin (more than was really necessary, or so Toby couldn't help thinking) as he poked him in the arm. "Budge up, I'm not mediating for you two now. I've got an essay to get started on." Toby closed his eyes for a moment, moving down to sit beside an obviously uneasy Theo with very bad grace. Blaise ignored him, settling into his chair and, true to his word, fishing out a long roll or two of scribbled-on parchment.

Theo stirred next to him, trying to peer round Toby's form, as he was hunching over the desk and sort of blocking eye contact with Blaise. Not quite on purpose, but –

"Before you ask, Theo, I can't work on this essay during lunch, because I'll be subbing secretly for the prefects and all that. You know, keeping order and whatnot." Even when Theo stiffened beside him, Blaise kept on going, in that sort-of-airy, not-really-questioning-anything tone, as if nothing had happened. "You know, Theo – like you promised to do as well? So Toby could handle the meeting all on his lonesome and the prefects don't worry about the school going to pieces while their backs are turned – "

"And if I don't give a flying shite if he can handle the meeting or not?" Theo shot back. "And anyway, I never promised to – "

"That conversation ends now," Toby interrupted suddenly, after trying to convince himself that he really should. "Yes, you know – the one you're carrying on about me without my input?"

"Oh don't give me any bullshit about input, you tosser – "

"Mr. Snape! Mr. Nott!" McGonagall rounded on them, looking fierce. "I sincerely hope I do not have to call you to order again, at such a sensitive time for some of your classmates. I assure you that it will not be pleasant, understood?" The both of them nodded curtly, Toby itching for her to turn her back on them so they could get back to insulting each other – er, well. That seemed to be what it had degraded to, didn't it?

"So if you think," Theo began, in a heated whisper, but Toby was shaking his head, suddenly too weary to answer anything but: "I'm sorry."

"If you think that…what?" Theo stared at him, looking a little wide-eyed. When no response was forthcoming, he sort of tried to lean around Toby to get a look at Blaise. "Did he really just say – "

"Sounded like it," Toby was faintly amused to hear Blaise say, quill paused in its cautious scratching. "I wonder if anyone would believe me if I said I'd heard that. I can hardly believe it myself – "

"Good," Toby said, sinking back into his chair. "I'm certainly not going to repeat it."

"Bastard," Theo muttered, but his tone didn't have the necessary sting, and he was giving Toby another one of those calculating looks that made him feel as if one of them somehow knew he was a – "Saying that doesn't cover it, you know."

"I'm not stupid, Theo. Doesn't mean I'm going to kiss your feet, either." Theo gave him a faint smile, enough that Toby felt encouraged enough to continue. "Not only because that's completely out of character for me, but because Draco would have such a jealous fit – "

"Merlin, you're never going to let that go," Theo said suddenly, looking a little awed and oddly, a little irritated. "You know, I don't think I've ever known anyone to be more of a bastard than you in that way."

"Really?" Toby went still, and, pasting a look of mockingly fake gratitude and wonder on his face turned towards his thoughtful-looking friend, "Oh, Theo, how touching – "

"I'm friends with a madman," Theo replied, rolling his eyes.

"And only now you realise?" Blaise said, flashing a snide smile in both their directions. "I'm disappointed, Theo – "

"Shut up," Theo returned easily, seeming to turn his attention back to Toby. "But you do know that that apology won't quite stand, don't you?" At his nod, Theo continued. "And you do know that I'll be quite in my rights to hex you the next time you try that?" Another, slightly slower nod, and Theo looked down at his hands, feigning indifference. "So you're still having that meeting, I take it?"

"No, I've decided to wash my hair, instead. There's this new drying charm I want to try, and my hair's starting to loose its shine. You idiot." Theo rolled his eyes, Blaise sniggered, and Toby, once again, felt right at home.

Now, all he needed to do was apologise to Tracey as well. Which didn't seem like it would be too hard, considering the sort of approving looks she was sending in their general direction as McGonagall hovered over the group of students that were making the most progress, blatantly ignoring the skittishness of the rest of the class as she conversed rapidly with Terry Boot and some girl (Turpin? Turpan?) over in the left corner of the classroom.

---

"So," Toby said sharply, directing a slightly lazy Colloportus at the door as everyone squirmed nervously in their seats, "here we are."

And there they were – approximately thirty people, all prefects or influential sorts in their respective houses, and most of them fidgeting and giving a rather hungry Toby suspicious looks because of one little spell. He suppressed a tired, disappointed snort. As if he knew of some insidious way to kill them all right in the middle of Hogwarts and not be caught, or something –

"Why'd you just lock the door?" Toby restrained his slight flinch at the deeply suspicious tone of Hermione, and made himself look at her properly, just as if she was some weird kid in his year that he didn't quite know or care about apart from this moment. Which was what everyone would expect, instead of him running into her arms and bursting into tears or –

Right. That thought stream ends here and now…

"So no one sneaks into the classroom after us, or spies," he said as easily as possible, trying to sound world-weary instead of eager to please, thanking God that he'd thought to sort of inwardly prepare a speech. "I gathered a meeting like this would probably garner lots of attention, so…" Hermione nodded slowly, still suspicious, but obviously ready to trust him. For a little while, at least. Toby stifled a sigh, thanking his stars Ron wasn't here – he didn't know how on earth he'd have continued – "So, down to business. As you all know," he said, heading strategically for an empty desk in the midst of the edgy prefects and seventh years, "I'm having a separate party for the older students after that blasted Summer thing down in the Party Room, or," he allowed a smirk to rise to his face, "for the uninitiated, the dungeon second across from my uncle's office."

The objections, as Toby had expected (and as Blaise, Theo and later, Tracey had easily predicted), began almost immediately.

"What? But that's so bloody big – "

"I thought you said this was a party, not a plot to steal house points, Snape," Ernie Macmillan said angrily, almost half the other students in the room nodding angrily along and whispering between themselves.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, stop babbling," Toby called out, making his voice hard enough to cut through the arguments that had started among them. "Snape's – well, Professor Snape is going to be away on business leave as of this evening, and won't return until Monday next week, so there's no reason to worry." Toby gave them all convincing glances. "Well, apart from about the – ah – more law-abiding students you have in your houses."

"You mean the sneaks, don't you?" Hermione said suddenly, eyes boring into his face. Toby answered politely all the same, ignoring the way his heart was beating a mile a minute and hoping, hoping, hoping that she wouldn't see – wouldn't recognise –

"Yep. Tattle-tales, sneaks, rats – whatever you want to call them, really. But none of those – I'll have more than enough on my hands dealing with keeping all of you people from braining each other on the dance floor, I suspect."

"Oh please – "

"Oh for fuck's sake, the only reason I've ever heard of people from different houses meeting here at Hogwarts is to try to spell each other into the ground," Toby said insultingly, voice rising over the clamour and protests coming from everyone around him. He mentally checked his tone for the right amount of irritation and disgust before continuing.

I have to get this exactly right…

"Why'd you think I'm even bothering to talk to all of you about this? Anywhere else, I'd just be able to pass the word by talking to a couple people and telling them I don't want a bloody war on the dance floor, but here…" he shook his head, glaring at the gradually quieting room. "Here, you can't even keep the war out of your classes – "

"Don't condescend to us, you twerp," some slightly familiar-looking Ravenclaw prefect said sharply. "You don't know anything about the war, so just – "

"What I know about whatever war's going on out there is that it's stupid," Tobias hissed in reply, anger bubbling up into his chest, making him feel like he couldn't breathe. He tried to contain it, despite the growing irritation with himself for forgetting how angry this whole thing actually made him, and did not quite succeed. "I've never heard of a smart war in my life, and I don't expect I ever will – what kind of war drafts kids? Kills children? There's always been some kind of muggle or wizarding fucking war in Romania for about a hundred years, so I think I'm quite justified in saying that I'm sick of it."

Silence reigned, magnifying his anger as his scars itched, as his head throbbed with the beginnings of yet another headache. One of those headaches whose origin he could no longer tell, no longer felt safe dismissing – "So forgive me if I don't want to have to separate hot-blooded idiots on the dance floor in the early hours of Sunday morning. If you know anyone in your house that can't control themselves and whatever stupid bigotry that's popular in this war, tell them to keep their fucking arses clear of my party, because I won't discriminate when I'm blasting them out the door."

"Fair enough," the Head Boy (Edward Carmichael – he'd never been able to remember his name before) said, voice manifestly uncomfortable, hands gesturing in a distinctly placating manner. "We'll – "

"So you really aren't on a side in this war?" Hermione challenged, a hard look in her eyes, ignoring the ever-more uncomfortable silence that filled the room as people shifted in their seats. "You think you can just sit on the fence, just not choose, when there's – "

"Think of it this way," Toby said smoothly, letting his tone become patronizing. "I'm a Snape. My family's known for its independence and intelligence. I am, therefore, not going to go beggaring to whatever fucking side, because Snapes do not relinquish their dignity or their sanity to any cause. Now, what that has to do with a party, I really don't know. Was there a point in you asking that, Granger?"

"Just curious," she said lowly, lips thinning disapprovingly as he rolled his eyes at her. Carmichael gave her a distinctively annoyed glance, and Toby found it hard not to smile – the whole outburst just then, despite its obviously unwelcome nature, was just so quintessentially –

"Fine, Granger. Now, can we get on with this, everyone?" At the eager nods Toby saw go around the room in response to Carmichael's suggestion, he shifted slightly in his reclined position against the desk and continued.

"So, sneaks not allowed, hotheads not allowed. Everyone's clear on that?"

"Sorry, Snape," someone familiar-sounding said, "but it sounds like you've cut yourself out of attending your own party with that last – "

"What's your name?" Toby interrupted, irritation causing him to grit his teeth as he tried to locate the cause of it.

"I'm in your house, you tosser, you should know." A smug, handsome, vaguely familiar face greeted Toby's searching eyes, and suddenly he thought he recognised that voice. From the showers, this morning, before Draco –

"If I don't know your name, why the fuck are you here?" Toby replied, tone perfectly polite.

"Oh Jesus, his name's Urquhart," Katie Bell said, rolling her eyes as she fiddled with the Head Girl badge on her drooping lapel. "Can we get on with this, Snape? About eight of us have Transfiguration after lunch, and you know how McGonagall gets."

"No problem. Right – drinks will be Butterbeer, Firewhiskey and cider," Toby said, shaking back his hair. "Please provide younger students (I'm assuming no one below fifth year'll be encouraged to come) with either a good, strong hangover potion, or tell them to keep their mouths shut. Bringing in extra alcohol is allowed, but you are responsible for what happens with it and to it. Dress code is strictly non-formal – if you're wearing formal robes at the door, I'll de-robe you. It's a party for relaxation, not for showing off, so keep your jewellery out of the room as well – I won't be held responsible for anything that gets stolen from you. Oh, and the door will be closed once the room is full, or at about an hour after the party starts – "

"What about trips to the loo, and all that?" Ernie Macmillan asked tentatively, making Toby sigh inwardly with relief. He'd furiously researched this whole party business in between classes and persuading all of these bloody people to be here, and found that there was some sort of potion to render trips to the toilet needless, as well as slightly lower the inhibitions of the subject. The perfect potion for parties, as it were –

"That's easy, I'll have some Caesi Mixi on hand." Toby felt a spark of pride warm him – he'd been half afraid that he'd forget what the damned thing was called, or say it wrong, and instead –

"Where will you get it from?" demanded the Ravenclaw prefect that had spoken before, looking resoundingly suspicious. "It's not the kind of thing you can just order around here – "

"Actually, I was intending to just piss in a cauldron and add milk," Toby found himself saying viciously. "I can make it in my sleep, for crying out loud," he continued, rolling his eyes as he hoped, prayed, screamed at himself for putting his fat head in such a position, because from the look of grudging awe on the girl's face, he'd probably be sweating over the damned potion for days – "The issue is whether you'll all want the stronger version or not."

"How much stronger, Snape?" Ernie said curiously. "I heard it worked for twelve hours – " Tobias snorted disdainfully, mind still racing over the sorry mess that his weekend was increasingly looking like as he answered.

"Twelve hours if they're twelve hours with no water or food at all is more like it," he said condescendingly. "Three hours if you're being moderate and two if you're really getting sloshed – those are more realistic times, I think. My family's version extends the really sloshed time by about an hour, but it negates the effects of one or two common hangover potions." And has an anti-suspicion charm hexed firmly into it, which will definitely help – "It negates potions with ginger in them in any shape or form, to be more accurate. The upside, of course, is that we won't have to round up everyone for another sip just when the whole thing's really starting to get interesting."

"And I suppose part of the downside's the fact that you might poison us all and lock our bodies in the Party Room to rot, eh, Snape?" Urquhart said, smiling nastily. Toby clamped down on his anger and frustration as much as possible, channelling it, instead, into an equally nasty smile in Urquhart's direction.

"Of course, that would be the smartest decision of the century that I could make here," he replied breezily. "I'm sure I'd be the last person anyone would think of blaming for such a flaming travesty, don't you?"

"So you know how to make a Continence-Augmenting Potion," one of the Slytherin girls said hastily, giving Urquhart a hard look. "Where'd you learn how?" Toby gave her a thoroughly sarcastic look and, ignoring her question (which he couldn't truly answer anyway, as he'd never learned to make such a potion. Which reminded him of how bloody hard he'd have it in these last few days, making it by himself or something), continued to speak from where he'd left off on instructions for the event.

"For those of you who are wondering what I mean by de-robing you if you're wearing robes in that dungeon, well, I meant just that. So, do we have a consensus? Remember what you're agreeing to, please – no sneaks, no tattlers, no impressionable youngsters, no one who can't hold their drink, no robes, no jewellery, and no one in or out of the Party Room after the thing's been on for an hour. Any objections?" He saw Hermione relax a little into her chair, and tried to shake off the feeling that he'd give anything to know what she was thinking right at that moment, concentrating, instead, on giving everyone level, unEvil looks to make them see that this was really a series of reasonable propositions, as opposed to one that would ensure every potential spy on the Order would be in that Room for a good while.

"Sounds like a plan," Carmichael muttered cautiously, and it was all Tobias could do not to jump up and start gyrating on the table in victory. Murmurs of agreement went round the room, and no one but Urquhart and maybe Draco looked anything more than carefully excited about what the weekend would bring.

"I'm glad you think so," Toby answered, as politely as he knew how. Carmichael nodded in reply, and everyone began to ask the more mundane questions like what he'd have for refreshments and music. Tobias, despite his lingering panic over his ability to provide everything in such short order, fielded the questions calmly, and soon enough was heading out the door and flirting with a distantly pretty Slytherin prefect, Emmeline Vaisey, whose brother he just as distantly remembered was on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

---

It turned out that Emmeline was more than happy to discuss the merits and demerits of Quidditch with him much later on the way to dinner. Toby, still immersed in planning and worrying about making the Caesi Mixi potion and sorting the music and making sure there weren't nasty surprises in the slightly derelict Party Dungeon, had just been emerging from another difficult Transfiguration class with a nervously prattling Tracey at his side. Emmeline had turned up seemingly out of nowhere when they were halfway from the Great Hall, and after an awkward start, was now going merrily on about her brother's huge blind spot when it came to Quidditch, with well-timed intervals of her coyly staring up into his eyes (being tall had its disadvantages) and brushing suggestively against him.

All Tobias found himself interested in was how Tracey was managing to keep a straight face, and as Emmeline regretfully sauntered off to join her friends a little way away, he finally asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "You learn, here, after a while." Toby sank down beside her, trying to convince himself he was only doing so because – well, that was an exercise in futility. He hung his head slightly to conceal his slightly sheepish smile as he thought about the whole unlikely situation, and sort of wondered if he'd ever have liked her before his whole transformation.

He shrugged inwardly, feeling guilty despite the fact that he knew the odds of him noticing her when she seemed to work so hard to fly under the radar were distinctively low. It felt shallow somehow, to come from liking Cho, transition with Ginny, then end up…here. Admiring curly hair that he knew was probably highly annoying to her, like Hermione's –

Toby sighed, shutting down yet another train of useless thought, and focused his attention back on Tracey instead. "So, how did Transfiguration suit you?" he said lightly, starting to put food on his plate, before remembering that she was probably pissed off at him for being nasty to her and that that question would only –

"Are you going to dance around the fact that you can be really rude sometimes?"

Remind her. Toby tried not to sink a little into his seat as he sighed his reply. "No. Please tell me you love me despite the fact that I can be a berk…" his voice trailed off as he realised exactly what he'd just said. Could I not just have stuck my foot inside my mouth? What is wrong with me?

"Erm," was all Tracey was able to say in reply, "not quite. Just know I won't put up with that kind of shit again when you're feeling all morose," she continued slowly, turning away from him to accept a bowl of steaming lasagne from someone nearby. "Being someone's punching bag is a waste of time, I think. Even if they're as gorgeous as you are." Toby stared at her as she ladled some of the lasagne out onto her plate with a slightly careless air. Had she just said – "Oh come on, you did make up with Theo, didn't you? That means you can laugh at my jokes now, you know…"

And laugh he did, albeit a little nervously, as Tracey gave him an amused look before plunging happily into the task of attacking her plate of food. Which reminded him of his own cooling plate of stuff he'd been absentmindedly amassing. Eating and occasionally commenting on Party-related things occupied them both until Blaise and Theo plonked down nearby, arguing heatedly about the merits of cider. Toby had just started to tentatively join in the strange, slightly incoherent debate when he felt the sudden, strong urge to turn round as someone came to a stop directly behind him. At the sudden respectful silence of Blaise and Theo, he knew to turn around, diffident as usual, despite the fact that his heart was beating so strangely and so hard.

Severus loomed over him, looking disdainful and forbidding as always. Toby couldn't quite muster up a matching sneer to reply to the one Severus wore, because – because.

This, in a manner of speaking, would be it. Their final meeting, if anything went wrong.

"Uncle," Toby said, stiffening on purpose as Severus' eyes met his.

"I require your presence in my office immediately, Tobias," Severus said curtly, a dimly speculative look crossing his features as he raked his eyes over the silent group around Toby, who he surmised were looking down at their plates and pretending not to notice the fact that Severus outwardly seemed to want to embarrass Toby as much as possible. "Immediately being the operative word," Severus said, pointedly, turning away.

Toby nodded shortly, and made sure to keep the excitement off his face as his uncle strode casually away, threading through the avoidant students in the Hall with a kind of cocky menace that suggested his pleasure at being able to leave Hogwarts before the 'useless travesty' he'd termed the Summer Party in class earlier on. Toby sighed angrily at his plate, not really registering anything as another cold sliver of dread wormed its way into his heart.

Cocky menace was perfect. Severus gave him a nasty smirk as he caught his eye just before passing through the doors, and Toby had never found it harder to glare back, because he knew this meeting, this meeting he was preparing to go to in true angry Snape style –

"I suppose the question of your being all right is moot," Tracey said, voice low.

Toby smiled at her, knowing the visible effort it was taking not to simply stand and go after his uncle as fast as he could would look more like an effort not to start breaking things. This meeting could be their last, and it was almost physically painful to dally on purpose, as if he didn't care if his uncle met his nasty end over his little holiday. Which he well might, Tobias reminded himself, finally getting up off the bench.

"I'll be all right when he leaves, that's for certain," he said in soft reply, giving a concerned (for me, he couldn't help thinking smugly) Tracey a little wink as he left. Blaise gave him a supporting sort of look, and Theo muttered a slightly grudging goodbye in his direction, which he supposed he deserved, all in all –

"Could it have taken you any longer to obey me, Tobias?" Severus' voice startled him horribly as he entered the stairwell. Toby opened his mouth to answer, but his uncle's arm was already dragging him down the stairs and in the direction of his office in the most humiliating manner possible. Toby endured it with bad grace (as if there was really an option of clutching at his uncle's arm like a drowning man) that ceased as soon as the office door closed behind them. And, even then, Severus still tugged him in the direction of the fireplace, obviously meaning for him to Floo somewhere. "Floo to Dumbledore's office, with a password of eros. Just call it out after the location, and do step out of the grate as soon as possible – I will be on your heels."

A bewildered and rather twitchy Toby did as asked, stumbling hurriedly out of the fireplace and looking round in vain for Dumbledore, who seemed to be conspicuously absent. Severus appeared moments later, and, as soon as he stepped out of the grate, turned and began to ward the fireplace with the strongest, nastiest eavesdropping-blocking charms Toby had ever heard (and one or two he hadn't) as Toby continued to feel disorientated and confused.

"Albus, I believe we are secure. Draco Malfoy is in the Great Hall, and I have blocked any listening or tracking charms as best as can be hoped for, so you two can take off those ridiculous spells so we can do this as fast as possible," Severus said very rapidly, crossing over to sit at one of the three visitor's chairs, one of which Tobias suddenly realised had an odd-looking sort of depression that looked as if someone might be sitting in it, and –

Albus Dumbledore began to slowly trickle into view, just at the same time as someone began to appear in the same way in the chair with the strange depression. Someone Toby immediately recognised, and couldn't help crossing the room to clasp in an awkward hug as their body continued to appear – Remus Lupin.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," he heard a slightly muffled-sounding Severus say nearby. "We do not have time for greetings, Tobias – "

"It is enough time for a short one, Severus," Dumbledore said, sounding a little weary. Toby disengaged quickly from Remus and took the squashy chair between his and Severus', and couldn't help taking in both Remus and Dumbledore's appearances. He'd seen Dumbledore less and less often in the Great Hall, but had known not to bother questioning it to anyone except Severus, who had been thoroughly evasive. But he'd never seen Dumbledore look so tired and stern at the same time, and it made him wonder if he was using charms or glamours to hide his appearance so that people like Draco didn't suspect anything.

And, of course, there was Remus, who looked as ragged as ever, but with a thankfully hopeful sort of bent to his shoulders and expression as he gave Toby a sort of grim smile. Maybe –

"As we are all here, let us get down to business," Dumbledore said, giving Toby a sort of welcoming nod. "Why we are all here is to debate the possible effectiveness of young Tobias' – "

"It's Toby." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and Severus sighed irritably beside him, but Toby refused to look anything other than innocently commanding. "I'm used to that, now."

"I see," Dumbledore muttered, sighing as he continued. "Very well, Toby's little distraction, which will take the form of a – "

"Can we dispense with the formalities, Albus?" Severus interrupted coldly, crossing his arms menacingly. "You well know that I have a limited window of time to devote to this little crackpot meeting of yours, so I suggest we get down to the bloody details." Without waiting for an even wearier-looking Dumbledore's reply, he turned on Toby. "Tobias," he barked, "approximately how many people will be at your disturbance, and who?"

"Severus, at least show him some courtesy," Remus started to argue, sounding oddly cross, but Toby wasn't having any of it. He was perfectly all right with barking back in Severus' face if that was what he wanted, so –

"Remus, I'm quite fine with answering, all right? And, Severus, the figure's about a hundred and twenty. May be up to two hundred people at the party in the end, what with fourth years sneaking in, but that's a chance I'm prepared to take. Oh and everyone from fifth year to seventh is technically attending, apart from people who might be disposed to rat the party out."

"And who decides on those who are to be excluded?" Severus shot back, his expression at once thoughtful and antagonistic. "I do hope – "

"The prefects and influential people from each house decide," Toby said, interrupting him smoothly. "And I get the final decision, anyway, I'll be at the door, and I'll chuck anyone that looks like trouble."

"And if you 'chuck' someone with the ability and motivation to spy on me or on the Headmaster?"

"You give me a list of those people and a short facial description, and I let them in no matter what," Toby replied, starting to feel a little uneasy. "How many people would be on that list, by the way?"

"That is not your concern," Severus said dismissively, still looking thoughtful. "Lupin, Albus? Don't tell me you didn't have any questions prepared…"

"We were politely waiting for you to finish," Remus said aggressively, giving Severus a hard look. Toby hid a sudden smile – those two would never get along in any situation, would they – "Assuming that he has, I have a few questions, Toby."

"Hit me," was the only funny reply he could think of making at the moment, and somehow the swift look of amusement that passed across Remus face was entirely worth the sneer Severus sent his way.

"Right. What are you doing about refreshments?"

"Well – "

"I'm handling that side of the equation, Lupin," Severus interrupted, a little too vehemently to be referring just to the fact that the hoard of Butterbeer and other drinks he'd ordered would be coming in sometime in the afternoon of tomorrow. "I don't suppose you have any other – "

"As a matter of fact, I have," Remus coolly retorted, giving Severus a glare. "Toby, what about music?"

"I think I've got it sorted," Toby said, putting emphasis on the word 'think' as he began to pick a little nervously at the webbing between his right thumb and index finger. It was definitely sort of bothering him – he'd been able to owl in most of the music that he needed, and had spent a night blazing through a book about charming sound to objects and structures with a only his blanket, a Lumos charm and Iona as witnesses, but he still felt quite nervous about the time he'd spend on Friday afternoon and possibly half of Saturday morning actually getting it done. "Theo and Blaise are helping me, so – "

"Who?"

"The Slytherin replacement for Granger and Weasley, Lupin – how daft can you be? We are running out of – "

"Severus, do be civil," Dumbledore said, interrupting Toby's uncle's speech with a harder look than he'd ever seen the old man give Severus before. "We have quite enough time to finish this. Do go on, Remus."

"There's a way to do big chunks of music in one go, you know," Remus continued, giving Severus an equally hard look. "I can jot it down for you if you want, and maybe ask Tonks for some tips as well – "

"That would be really helpful," Toby said quickly, cutting off Severus' obviously approaching sneer at the mention of Tonks. "There's also something I was thinking of using, so everyone stays in the Party – er, the dungeon I'm using. One of those continence-increasing potions, you know – "

"Which variation?" both Remus and Severus demanded, seemingly at the same time.

"Well, I found an extended one that supposedly lasts three hours – "

"Rubbish," Severus said immediately, uncrossing his arms disdainfully. "The standard versions of Caesi all have tolerance for four – "

"Not if you're drinking like a naïve student," Remus argued back. "It's nothing like those functions you're dragged to, Severus, especially when they discover the potion for the first time – "

"Which is why I'm interested in having the Caesi Mixi on hand – the one that comes with an anti-suspicion bent as well, so no one's overly suspicious about the entire setup while they're inside, you see?" Toby's nerves increased under the slightly shocked stares of the men around him. "What? Might as well kill two birds with one stone. I checked the formula, and it looked like it might work – "

"You'll show me this formula," Snape said decisively, at the same time as Remus said, "You should show us the formula, so we can decide." They exchanged a long, hostile look as Toby sighed, hoping someone would come to a decision soon –

"Is it the Caesi Mixi contained in Albertnum's Drafts for the Degenerate?" Dumbledore said, breaking the tense silence, a familiar twinkle back in his eyes. Toby nodded apprehensively, hoping against hope – "Well, that should work splendidly. Now, as to who will concoct it – "

"I can," Severus and Remus began simultaneously. Severus gave a disdainful sniff.

"I should have access to the appropriate ingredients, Headmaster, and I won't be busy," he said, sneering the last word in a manner that implied all sorts of degenerate actions on the part of Remus and possibly Tonks. Remus looked outraged, and Dumbledore looked faintly bored and weary once again.

"I'm afraid that's the best decision, then," he muttered, seeming to ignore the subtly aggrieved look Remus was beaming his way. "If there's anything else, Remus?" Remus shook his head, now back to shooting Severus hard looks. "Severus?"

"Of course," came the sarcastic reply. Dumbledore seemed to ignore it as well, his eyes now resting kindly on Toby.

"Well, then. I believe that ends this meeting – "

"You don't have any questions for me?" Toby couldn't help but blurt out. "I mean, no suspicion that I won't just lure Draco into the dungeons and kill him? Or – "

"I am under the impression that you are healing in that regard," Dumbledore said, firmly, a briefly measuring look appearing on his face. "So consequently, no, I have no questions." Toby sat back, feeling inordinately satisfied. That Dumbledore trusted him seemed to soothe the nagging discomfort of his position here, and just –

"Come, Tobias, we must be off." Toby rose at Severus' curt urging, and, after another awkward, brief hug with Remus and an even more uncomfortable handshake with Dumbledore, headed thoughtfully for the fireplace.

---

A minute or so later, he was stumbling into Severus' empty office, still feeling both reassured and apprehensive of what the weekend would bring. Severus stepped easily out of his fireplace shortly after, already intoning wards and putting up more eavesdropping spells – ones that Draco or even himself would undoubtedly be helpless against.

"As I have been repeating, I do not have much time," Severus muttered his way, heading swiftly for his slightly untidy desk and tapping one of the drawers with his wand. It sprung open with a crack, and Toby hovered curiously as Severus extracted a slightly grubby package from it and shut the drawer firmly. "Open this and put them on," he instructed rapidly, rolling up his sleeves in an uncharacteristically uninhibited manner that made Toby hesitate to tear into the package, which felt a little heavy for something he was supposed to wear.

Sighing impatiently, Severus seized the package and, slitting it open with a curt Diffindo, let the contents clatter out onto his desk, which was now between them. "They are arm rings, you idiot," he said impatiently as Toby hefted one a little nervously. "Push them on, as far as they'll go – that's it – "

Toby gave his uncle a hard look as the odd silver things slid easily up his thin arms, feeling oddly exposed as Severus tutted and poked at them until they seemed to shrink down enough to fig just above his elbows. When his arms were surrendered by an oddly intense-looking Severus, he peered carefully at the heavy design that seemed to slide across the wide bands as he looked at them. Noticing a familiar sort of spelling, he looked up – "In Romanian?"

"Yes," Severus said, rubbing tiredly at his left eye. "One of the few Snape heirlooms I was able to coerce from my family during my second visit."

"What does it do?" Toby asked, peering hard at the one on his left arm, on which the Romanian words seemed to be moving in an entirely different pattern than on the bracelet on his right arm.

"Not much," was the shrugged reply. "It should add to your ridiculous sense of mystique if you wear them at that blasted party, though, and it should be clear to you that you need as much mystique as you can get."

Not quite believing his uncle's nonchalant tone, Toby fished out his wand and aimed it carefully at the bracelet. "Noteo pernicies." The bracelet shone dazzlingly, prompting him to continue. "Noteo leporis…" The suggestion hit his mind like a ton of bricks – suggestion of a dark, all-encompassing cloud of seething…protection?

"You accepted them willingly, and had them fit to your arms," Severus said, tone mortifyingly smug. "They will work, therefore, whether you care them to or not – "

"Couldn't you just have told me, you complete, utter bastard?"

"I'm not leaving you unprotected in this school alone for four days, whether Dumbledore will be present for the most part or not," was the simple, stern answer to Toby's slow, vehement cursing as he examined the bracelets again. "And you will wear them, I assure you, unless you do wish me to flay you alive upon my return."

"And if you don't?" Toby hissed, anger warring with a strange sense of gratitude that was rising irritatingly in him. But Severus merely smiled, nastily.

"Spoken like a nephew that hates even my shadow," he murmured approvingly. "I suppose unconscious framing of this memory as a horrible one is better than none – "

"Bastard," Toby said again, but with far less heat. He tugged irritably at one of the bracelets and sighed when it didn't come off. "How am I going to hide this this evening, anyway?"

"I leave that question up to the machinations of your fragile mind, good nephew," Severus said, his tone sounding even more amused. "One does hope you are not so gullible in accepting trinkets from anyone other than me – "

"Fuck you," Toby said, shaking his head, hard, because Severus had suddenly approached and swept him into one of those stifling hugs, and the realisation that this might just be the last either of them saw of each other had hit him, hard, and he wasn't interested in crying in any form or amount before his uncle, as he would be mocked. Thoroughly.

"The feeling is mutual," Severus muttered, now looking reluctant to let him go as he released him from the shaky comfort of his arms and watched him drift uncertainly towards the door. Toby tried not to sigh and stare at his uncle as he took a seat at his desk, and failed.

"Good evening," he tossed out, in his most sneering manner, because Severus' wand was out, and he was obviously going to take the wards down soon, and he could remember that sometimes their efficacy wavered with an increase in the caster's intent to dismantle them, so he couldn't be too careful.

"Tobias?" Toby turned back, sneer still somehow in place. "The Caesi Mixi was a good idea. Dumbledore will convey the amount you need to you in time." Toby drew in a sharp breath at this unprecedented compliment – Severus had always been critical of the entire idea, so that must mean – "Now stop hovering in my office and take your worthless hide outside."

Toby rolled his eyes, swearing under his breath as he slammed out of the office and, consecutively, the classroom, pretending not to notice someone darting around the corner just to the right of him, in the direction of the staircase to the lower dungeons. The wards behind him on the door seemed to shiver as he glared at the door as convincingly as he could, and he knew inwardly that the special ones had been taken down as he began to head for the Slytherin dorms.

He hid his unexplainable agitation as much as he could the rest of the night, covering it with a veneer of severe irritation and outright anger that his Slytherin friends would understand, but, as the lights finally dimmed in the dormitory, he allowed himself to roll up his sleeves and carefully light his wand, so he could stare at the moving words on the softly gleaming silver bands.

---

A/N: Oh, my goodness. This was so long! I never thought I'd see the end of this chapter, but there you go. I've thought that at least three times per chapter each chapter after the first one in this story, so yeah. Hope you all enjoyed it (I especially enjoyed finally finishing it, I can tell you that), and here's hoping the next chapter will be a bit easier to get through quickly, so you're not all salivating for Chapter 6 – A Party or Two for the next month or something horrid like that. Cheers, everyone – and my especial thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. They keep me going, guys.

Oh, and do point out any errors you spot, so I can fix them sometime. Till the next time!

---