Thanks to all of you who took the time to favourite/review my story :)
Something a bit different, see end of chapter if you are confused about who is who.
AN-2021-07-23: huge thanks to dstone12 and Miette for reviewing this chapter and correcting my mistakes!
Where was Sev? She had not seen him during her prefect rounds on the train. With his mother dead ... Had he dropped out from Hogwarts for a muggle school? Surely, his father must have insisted his son kept learning about magic even if it reminded him of his dead mother ... Well, she had not like the man much the few times she had encountered him, and Severus seldom talked about him, except to say he did not like magic. She supposed he was jealous, like Petunia was, although she had troubles understanding how a father could not want the best for his child. It saddened her to see Severus suffer because of his father's indifference – she was not stupid, she knew Severus' relationship with his father was not a loving one- and she suspected he was quick to anger like Sev, but it was not like he beat his son.
Had he changed school for Durmstrang maybe, where they favoured The Dark Arts according to Mary? Hogwarts was Sev's dream though. And he could have told her... even if they did not speak anymore ... His friends did not seem overly concerned but who knew with Slytherins… What if…
What if he had finally realized she was right and they had hurt him when he told them he did not want to be part of their little group who tortured Muggles anymore? No. No. Rosier and Wilkes had seemed okay, if a little condescending, with her… Wilkes especially unnerved her during their prefect meeting. He had been perfectly polite with her but she had felt the judgement in his eyes. Who was he to judge her when they were happy to insult her because of her blood? She had heard them call her a Mudblood often enough, especially last year. Usually not in Sev's presence though…
Anyway, she would ask professor Slughorn if he did not show up tomorrow. Now she had to do her prefect duty with Remus. She would have to drag him out of Black and Potter's hands. How could he be so insufferable? Really, how could have Severus thought she was flirting with the guy? She would never, especially when he had been so cruel to Sev. It had taken her some time to realize it but their pranks were not funny when they targeted Sev. Why they had chosen him was a mystery. She refused to believe it was only because of his poor clothes.
Still, James' attention was flattering. And tiring. Some girls were jealous. She had to admit he seemed to have grown up during summer. Must be because of Black being thrown out from home and taking refuge at the Potter's manor. Remus had been shaken badly by this when she had seen him during summer. It was a good thing the four Marauders had resolved whatever had caused tensions between them last year. Remus had seemed so lost and angry at Black, Black alternating between ignoring him and following him like a puppy. And James had tried to hold the four of them together with the help of Pettigrew. He was so loyal to his friends...
Snape was not there. It might be a good thing for Padfoot after this summer hardship. And Lily would definitely be free from Slytherin influence. He just needed to be careful not to let Sirius feel neglected or there would be hell to pay, especially with his new situation. He remembered their first meeting in Diagon alley, both looking at the new Comet 6. It had felt like finding a long-lost brother. The Blacks had the reputation to be on the side of crazy but his great aunt Dorea had been a Black and charming and sweet. Sirius was fun and brave and daring... but is parents were no dream come true.
When they had first met Snape and Lily on their first ride to Hogwarts, Sirius had taken an instant dislike to Snape because he reminded him of home. For his part, he had been vexed to have been beaten by a girl. They had both agreed it was all Snape's fault. Then the git only proved them right, using Dark Spells Father said were only used by criminals. Good riddance.
He had been afraid of Snape at the beginning, impressed by his abilities in Potion and Defence, but in the end, the git was only a Slytherin like Grindelwald. And his spells were weak last year. Maybe he had had to drop out from Hogwarts for a school for the less magically gifted as they said. It was unheard of after thirteen but who knew.
Anyway, Father always told him to beware Slytherins, they always have hidden motives, manipulate you without you realizing it. And they are never straightforward with their feelings. Father was once called as a consultant for some Muggles experimented on by Grindelwald. He shivered whenever he thought about Father speaking of it. He had said Grindelwald was a devious and cruel mind whom should have been given the Dementor kiss instead of being locked away in his ruddy tower. Father always said Uncle Albus was too kind-hearted, saying everybody deserved a second chance but in this case...
Father had also added he was not to go playing favourite with the headmaster during the school year even though he knew him from childhood... But who could blame him when he did play on it? It was always for fun...
Snape was not here. The git. When he had needed to get a fight out of his system to feel better about seeing Regulus. Snape was the perfect target for him. A poor non-pureblood Slytherin so he could get away with hurting him when angry at his parents without them punishing him. And he recognized some of the spells Snape used, Dark magic like his parents had taught him to use, spells that hurt you when you used them except if you used an external sacrifice -like your beloved dog to teach you another lesson in filial obedience.
Targeting Snape was good Auror training because he gave as good as he got... Except last year, it had been disappointing. A shame as Prongs had been even more motivated now that he wanted to get into Evans' pants. He really did not see what was so great with her. Always so goody and righteous but she abandoned her so-called friend because of a bad word. He had almost felt bad for Snivellus, except Moony could have died because of the git. Snape did not know how to take a prank like a man. It was not like he had tortured him. Moony was a real friend, forgiving him for almost getting him killed. James too, for bearing with him the time it took to realize he had been wrong to do the prank and then to admit it to himself then beg for forgiveness to Moony's feet until all was right again. Wormtail was better than her too; always ready to make his friends feel better by boosting them with the right words. Now he had to find another Slytherin to train on...
Maybe Snape was gone because of him. It felt like triumph to win against a dark wizard. He had to keep at it until he won against his parents. He loved being disinherited, he had finally moved to James' permanently. Best move ever. He wished Regulus had gone with him. The prat had dared say he was as mad as Bellatrix. He did not torture for fun. He tortured to let the Good win so children would never be tortured in the future. Regulus was so ungrateful for forgetting who had made himself a target so often to protect him.
Snape was not here. What a relief not to face his almost victim every day. Now he could be at peace with forgiving Sirius. He was ashamed of himself. His resolve not to forgive, to be a better prefect... had barely held two months. He had not even tried to help Snape the day he had lost Lily's friendship… Prongs and Padfoot could say what they wished, he knew the truth. Snape had not finally revealed his true nature by calling Lily a Mudblood. He had only reacted to his humiliation in front of the girl he fancied…
It did not matter anymore. After Sirius disinheritance, he knew he would cave in to any demand. The wolf growled at being used and betrayed, but belatedly agreed they were pack and it should be enough. Alpha should now be able to mate with the girl. The wolf approved of the new addition to the pack, good riddance to the almost meat, it had been an obstacle to enlarging the pack.
It scared him sometime, how the wolf part of himself influenced his human behaviour. He had talked to Professor McGonagall about it after the incident with Snape, although minimizing the importance of it. She had found him an older werewolf to talk to, specialized in controlling his mind and body from what she had said. The man lived in Tibet and Remus would join him when he graduated. For now, they exchanged letters. It helped, especially when he wanted to tear Sirius' parents limb from limb for hurting their son so much. He couldn't wait for Hogwarts to be over. But Snape's absence would help. He knew it.
Snape was not at Hogwarts. How would it affect their group dynamics? Last year had begun badly, Sirius and James so focused on humiliating the Slytherins, and Snape in particular, that it felt like the only thing they did together. He knew very well that without the Marauders, he would have been that guy everybody enjoyed tormenting, like in his previous school. The first years, their pranks had really been fun, he had enjoyed having a laugh at the expense of the snotty ones. Pranking Snape had been exhilarating too. He had felt like he was having revenge on all his past tormentors.
But last year, there had been something different with Snape. The others had not noticed. Not what mattered. Snape had been hurting. Badly. His spells were weaker. The same intensity as his. And after Sirius stupid prank... He had felt so ashamed, watching another descend into a depression he knew well. The Marauders were his saviours. For Snape, they were...
But he could not regret the prank. Thanks to it, Remus had taken the time to help him with his studies despite his prefect duty, something he had not done since the beginning of the year. James and Sirius too. When Remus had forgiven Sirius, the group felt renewed, it had a new balance. Only their success in becoming animagi at the end of their third year had brought him as much contentment but it had not lasted. This time, he no longer felt like James' and Sirius' sidekick but a true Marauder. This blessed state had remained through the summer, reinforced by Sirius disinheritance. He had been worried about their return to school. But Snape was not here. What a stroke of luck.
He was so happy Severus was not here anymore. With his mind, his friend was wasted here. He bet his absence would upset the Marauders...
Hmm, now that he was a perfect, he would be able to take revenge… But not like Lupin. His best revenge would be to punish them for their deeds, never letting them escape a "prank" without sanction. How one could hate such an inoffensive word… Severus had really scared him after the prank he could not talk about. But he had had to keep a cool head to prevent Evan from hurting the Marauders badly. His friend might not be the best in their class but in a real fight between Black and Evan, he knew who he would bet on.
Another thing to keep in mind. He would have to watch over his friend but it would be difficult with his new prefect duties. He had been surprised and proud when he had received the badge to replace Langford, whose family had left for America and now was schooled at Ilvermorny. Another surprise had been Evans. She had treated him with warm politeness when he had expected cold disdain. Lupin had done the same. He knew she was wondering where Severus was, he had seen her looking for him through her round on the train. Even now she was looking at their table. Seemed like she still cared… But she had not contacted her so called friend during the whole summer… He supposed Gryffindor pressure was hard on her, especially since the Mulciber-McDonald affair - really, blood Betrothals should be forbidden until both participants were of age. Their parents were fools.
It was a shame Hogwarts chose to adapt so much for Muggleborn they forgot to integrate them in the wizarding world. Halloween now was a candies feast when in truth, it was the day the Dead and the Living were the closest. It was the day for rituals, most Dark, all powerful and several deadly. Now, the reverse was true. The Muggle course was a joke. One Muggleborn Slytherin had wanted to take the course and had been horrified by its contents. Thinking about it, even Severus who was a Half Blood knew nothing about the wizarding world, except for what Evan and he had taught him. Unlike Evans, Severus planned to do research about their world. It was on his to do list. Another thing on his to-do list was to study the Muggles way of doing research. Indeed, it seemed he had learned potions from a book written by a wizard and a squib which explained methods to develop a potion.
He could not believe how brilliant Severus was, like Evan would say. It really was a good thing he had finished with Hogwarts. But he was worried about the time he would be able to spend with Evan with his new prefect duty. It had been the three of them for five years, their year neutral faction in Slytherin House, although he doubted Severus realized they had enough influence in Slytherin to be a faction. Evan will be lonely…
He wished Severus was here. He had missed having his snarky comments on the new first years to keep him awake during the feast. Jonathan was so caught up in prefect duty he forgot to be fun. He should have done the same as Severus, but sadly his mind was not good enough. He could see the Mudblood look at the Slytherin table, searching. Severus was better away from her. He had been jealous of the time Severus spent with her, when you could see she did not care. Severus was always so busy and serious, taking care of his mother. His free time with both Jonathan and Evan had been sparse during third and fourth year. And last year... Severus had admitted during their train ride back from Hogwarts that he had used Occlumency to help him with his wand problem and with the aftermath of the "prank". It had really transformed him... he forgot everything not pertaining to OWLs... Merlin, even the Marauders had been intrigued. He and Jonathan had had their hands full with watching over Severus when he did not even defend himself... Yes, as much as he missed his friend, he was happy he was far away from Hogwarts. He had the feeling troubles were brewing. What could you expect when you taught children Muggleborns had the right to everything and Purebloods must excuse themselves for knowing magic and its tradition since birth? And look at Severus, living in the Muggle world, abused by his father but sneered upon by the Muggles defenders who did not cared… Dumbledore was such a fool, ignoring talent because of his prejudice…
They were so lucky Lord Voldemort had decided to come back from his world exploration to throw himself into bettering the wizarding world. Of course, the man had ambitions. Why the other Houses were so set against this word, he would never understand. You did not improve society and make new discoveries with only loyalty, bravery and cleverness. Ambition was healthy. It was the fuel needed to remain motivated. Lord Voldemort was brilliant. He had a plan to keep their world from losing all its traditions and knowledge because of Muggleborns. He had also managed to keep their group focused despite some divergence of opinion on how to treat Muggles who hurt children. He did not mind some rough-handling of them - he was not sure of what he would do if faced with Severus' father. But Bellatrix had tortured some of them... Lord Voldemort reprimand had been swift, precise and painful. It had been the right thing to do.
Snape was gone. Good thing for his plans. Genius and his friends did not realize their power in Slytherin. Both friends were from old pureblood lines – also not Noble houses like the Black or Malfoy - but Rosier's father was close to the Malfoys. Wilkes' had worked for the ministry as an ambassador before retiring to take care of his family business after his father's death. Wilkes was a prefect – why Langford had been named first was a mystery, unless Dumbledore had punished Wilkes for being the Genius' friend… Genius was admired by many of their House for his intellect as well as his cutting tongue. His holding his own against the Marauders was also respected – even if not praised out loud. His poor appearance had been a setback but last year, he had been afraid Snape could become the next king of Slytherin if he tried.
Those fears had disappeared with Snape odd behaviour during the year as well as his public humiliation. And everyone had noticed the decrease of his magical power. Still, the group of three had influence. Now, he might have a better chance at swaying his House per his father desire and his Lord's plans. Soon, Purebloods would regain the power they had lost to the Mudbloods. Such a shame Mary had changed so much and now rejected what the blood magic they had shared so young demanded. She even wanted to cancel their Betrothal. All because she had been sorted in Gryffindor. And because she was friend with a Mudblood that was not too bad at casting spells. Evans. She was good. She had almost won Snape to her side before throwing him away. She had won Mary. She would pay.
He was proud of the young Slytherin. So touched when he received a brief note telling him he had passed his NEWTS and would not come back to Hogwarts. Could not believe the lad had felt so guilty about Fang he stayed away for two years. Had a good heart beneath sharp tongue and anger. Eyes never lied, that's how he knew how to behave with his beasts. Last time, they had been so tired. How sad Severus had not found at Hogwarts the peace himself had, thanks to Dumbledore. What a great man Dumbledore. Such a shame Severus had not dared go to the Headmaster with his worries. Maybe he should talk to Dumbledore for him, even if the lad did not come back to school this year…
He really was the best at identifying potentials. Mister Snape has passed his NEWTS with the highest score in Potion ever. He was so proud for tutoring a pupil to his NEWTS, lending him a lab had been the right choice. Such a shame Mister Snape had not been suited to his Slug club. The few times he came, he either stood awkwardly on the side or destroyed other students with his sharp tongue without even trying. He would have talked to Mister Snape and try to help him improve on the social side if he had not been tutored by Lord Malfoy.
The boy clearly was not as socially clueless as some thought. Lord Malfoy did not accept the role of caution for any simpleton. He would have to keep an eye on Mister Snape for future achievements. Maybe he should try lending a private lab to another student. Miss Evans was quite good also, though her marks had been below her usual last year. And she had prefect duties. The same went for Mister Lupin. He would have to think on it. The younger Black might be a good choice...
What an interesting summer. He was happy Mister Snape had trusted him enough to ask for his favour. The NEWTs results of the young man were incredible when knowing he had 2 years less of study than the students usually taking them. And the apprenticeship offer… Who would have thought… The Prince blood never lied and it certainly ran true though Mister Snape's veins. He did not understand how he had not recognized Augustus Prince's traits in the young man. Hindsight as they say. He would keep watch over the young man.
How pleased his father had been. His half-blood child bringing a new powerful potential ally, one from the blood of their most trustworthy human allies but with his own magical gifts, protected by the Malfoy House... He really hoped Mister Snape would accept the offer. What an auspicious year indeed.
Mister Snape had graduated this summer. Horace was so proud, boasting of his NEWTS scores. They had been impressive indeed. How he had achieved them when he had obviously lacked power and control last year… She was missing something. He had improved steadily in Transfiguration –when she almost thought him a lost cause during his first year - and his essays were almost always O the previous year. However most of his fifth year practicals had barely been acceptable. She had been almost surprised he passed his OWL. And now his NEWTs…
Yet she was relieved. She loved her lions but last year had been difficult. And the Marauders… She had trouble punishing Mister Black knowing where he came from. Sometimes, she caught a look on his face that made her wondered what he had lived through… She had no such claim with Mister Potter, as charming as he was. But Albus always interfered with her treatment of his favourite boy. She wished he was not so close to the Potter family. She was sure it had coloured his treatment of Mister Snape.
She felt a twinge of guilt, thinking of the Slytherin boy. She could have done better. She should have managed her lions another way somehow. It was too late for him now. But this year, she would be careful. She would not allow Albus to meddle with her cubs. Even if he thought he was doing what was best for the wizarding world, children were not pawns. She had already forbidden him to make any other foolish speeches against Lord Voldemort. Really. He might as well have encouraged all those undecided toward the man. She knew his failure with Grindelwald weighted heavily on Albus' mind but he could not let it colour his judgement.
Mister Snape's name has appeared in the graduated people register. He would have to dig to know what had happened. Now that he thought about it, Horace had boasted about one of his Slytherins but he had not paid attention. So many things to do. Too bad the boy had been a Slytherin through and through; he hated to see Miss Evans so devastated by the tragic end of their friendship. Hopefully, James would heal this wound. He was amused by his favourite boy antics to win the girl. To be so young and carefree... Everything would be for the best. He just needed to watch out for the Slytherins. He could not let them harm permanently a student but the other houses still needed to see how bad Gell... Voldemort and his allies were.
He wished he could erase a House from Hogwarts. Sadly, the Castle did not agree with him. No matter, he had time. It would have been easier if Miss McDonald had agreed to testify against Mister Mulciber. He would have to take a different approach with her to hope to obtain a testimony that would hurt the Mulciber's heir reputation. He needed any advantage against Gell… Voldemort.
The name was ridiculous. Why did you change your name before coming back to England Tom, if you only wanted to be elected minister of Magic? What did you plan?
He had to protect the wizarding world. He owed them. He had been so blinded by his friendship, his admiration for Gellert… and his pride that he had almost been too late. He had paid a steep price though. He had lost his two siblings that day. Never again. For the Greater Good. For Ariana. For Alberforth. Maybe one day, if he tried hard enough, his brother would forgive him.
AN: In order of apparition, Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Jonathan Wilkes, Evan Rosier, Oliver Mulciber, Hagrid, Horace Slughorn, Filius Flitwick, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore.