They Didn't Know We Were Seeds

The first few weeks of Hogwarts are not easy. His housemates turn up their noses at him (as they did the first time), because he's a half-blood, and they go out of their way to make him feel unwelcome and subpar. Thankfully, Severus is not the boy he was the first time. He doesn't care if these people like him or see potential in him. He knows his worth and Lily likes him again (which was once all he wanted in the world after that awful incident in their fifth year). So he ignores their veiled jabs and pretends he doesn't notice when they sneer at him.

However, something snaps in Severus one afternoon after returning from a day of classes. One of his dormmates, Evan Rosier, is fuming about being shown up by a Muggleborn by the name of Dirk Cresswell in Transfiguration. As he unloads his satchel onto his bed, he rants on and on about the other, calling him a cheat, a bastard, a brown-noser, a lucky fool, and, then, a Mudblood.

Severus doesn't think, he just does. Wand out, he yells, "Langlock!"

Rosier's hands go to his mouth, face pulled into an expression of shock. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus sees another of his dormmates point their wand in his direction. Before they can so much as utter a syllable, he's got them hanging upside down in the air. Looking between his spelled and unspelled dormmates, he says, "I don't want to hear any of you use that word in my presence ever again, do you understand?"

The unspelled ones cower and are quick to agree with nods and jumbled promises. Undoing the langlock on Rosier first, he asks, "Do you promise as well?"

Face hateful, Rosier replies, "Yes."

Severus then undoes the jinx on his last remaining housemate. He doesn't demand any promises from them, but he glares. His dormmate is quick to avert his eyes.

Satisfied, but alert, Severus goes to his bed and pulls the curtains around him. He casts a couple of protective spells. It won't hold off everything, but given that his dormmates are eleven and twelve-year-olds he doesn't think they'll know anything strong enough to break through his new wards.

Laying down on his expansive bed, Severus steeples his hands over his stomach and begins to brood. Who knows what kind of feud he's just begun?

-o-O-o-

He doesn't tell Lily about the incident with his housemates. Chances are, she will only be cross at the news he jinxed children for something as petty as name-calling (nevermind the fact she cut him out of her life for using that particular insult). She's already annoyed with him for how he's handling the Marauders. Really, though, what did she expect him to do? Boys or not, Severus's not going to just let them hurl abuse at him without any consequence. Besides that, he's quite sure they don't understand half the things he calls them in return for their insults. Honestly, Lily should be pleased he hasn't resorted to hexing them to make them back off.

Then again, he knows that won't have any effect on them. Severus did that during his first childhood and all he got in return was seven years of grief.

Of course, despite all of Severus's best intentions to keep it under wraps, Lily still manages to find out.

-O-

The two of them are outside, enjoying the last of the truly nice autumn weather by the Black Lake, when a few upper year Slytherins approach them. Severus recognizes them immediately. Lucius Malfoy, who looks cockier than Severus can ever remember him being, Conrad Yaxley, crooked sneer as unpleasant as ever, and Claudia Wilkes. She died quite early during the first war, he knows. In one of the nastier battles the Death Eaters had with aurors if he remembers right.

Tense and weary, he asks, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The three look between each other. Then, with a saccharine smile, Wilkes says, "We heard from my little cousin, William, you used some very… interesting jinxes on a couple of your dormmates."

Lily, besides Severus, frowns.

He surreptitiously reaches for his wand. He thinks, if they have to, Lily and he can take these three. They'll have surprise on their side. The three before them just see a couple of unlearned eleven-year-olds, not battle-hardened veterans.

"They weren't that interesting," he deflects.

Lucius steps closer. "Oh, that's where you're wrong." Face sharp and threatening, he says, "We'd very much like to see a demonstration." He glances at Lily. "Perhaps your little girlfriend would like to be your assistant?"

Severus can't help himself from sneering. "No."

Lucius's face morphs into one of outrage. "You will show us," he demands. "As your betters, we order you to."

He narrows his eyes. "No," he repeats. "Not one of you is better than us."

Yaxley, who's been silent up until now, growls, "Fifteen points from Gryffindor."

Lily jumps to her feet. "You can't take points away from my house just because Severus won't show you a couple of spells!"

Wilkes casts a knockback jinx on Lily, causing the girl to tumble to the ground. "Shut your mouth, you filthy little Mudblood."

Severus sees red. How dare she. Wand out faster than any of the upper years could have ever expected, Severus fires off a langlock at Wilkes, and then a levicorpus at Yaxley. In the ensuing chaos, Wilkes attempts to find a way to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth while Yaxley twists and flails in the air as he cusses Severus out. As for Severus, he keeps his wand pointed steadily at a glowering Lucius Malfoy.

"You're going to let Lily and I pass you without incident," he orders.

Gray eyes steely, Lucius says, "Of course."

Crouching down, Severus offers his hand to Lily. Gratifyingly, the girl takes it. Pulling her up, he leads them past the trio.

It takes everything in him not to look back.

Another chapter for you guys. How did you like it? Severus's confrontation with his dormmates and then his older housemates?

Thanks a million for reading.