sorry for the double authors notes in this one, I meant to publish on Tuesday but this chapter is pretty long and it took me a few days. I also got a nail in one my fingers so that slowed down progress. warning for some language, and a warning that next chapter is going to be in Remus' pov
Severus kept a glance on everyone at the Kings Cross as students began to board the train and say goodbye to their families. He kept close to his mother, his hand around her arm as they had apparated there a few minutes before and walked to the station.
He had been scribbling in a journal of all the information Dumbledore had given him throughout the years that the Potter brat had been at Hogwarts. He had a huge hunch that the Dark Lord had Horcruxes, the headmaster had told him it without explicitly stating it before his ultimate demise. It wasn't like Voldemort hadn't kept his secret completely to himself either, he had hinted at it with great pride to his inner circle.
He also knew some of the Dark Lord's soul had embedded itself in Harry, but now that Harry didn't exist he didn't possess it. Severus was planning on not letting You-Know-Who get the chance to make anyone his Boy-Who-Lived.
The ring was another one of the things he knew about. Albus had been barmy enough to put it on and curse himself. It was a Horcrux if he had any say in what he thought it was, though Dumbledore never specifically told him that. The fool had taken the stone off the ring the second it wasn't cursed anymore, at first Severus had no idea why it meant so much to the man until he realised what it had been. The headmaster and he had argued over it countless times about its effects on people it had and how it would consume even the most powerful of wizards. Albus had ended up putting it into his hands, which had shut him up quickly.
"Severus, my hand is the price I paid for my foolish desires. Take it if you think I cannot handle it."
The man had no intention to give up the stone, and Severus had stared at it as it sat in his palm. He shuddered to remember how he had let the desire seep into him and he had turned the stone three times. He had barely glimpsed a sight of his mother's dark eyes and Lily's brilliant green before he had thrown it on the Headmaster's desk and stormed out of the room. Ignoring the ache in his heart when two voices had simultaneously said his name.
"Sev…"
"...Severus."
He had spent the day nastier than usual to students and staff. Minerva and Albus had been the only ones to try and ask him if he was okay, their foolish Gryffindor tendencies written all over their bravery.
The diary had to have been one too if he was thinking about his years teaching at Hogwarts. There were not many diaries that could possess a student and successfully open the Chamber of Secrets. It had Tom Riddle written all over it.
Severus remembered when he had led Potter to the lake, and he had been wearing some kind of locket. He had the right to assume it was one too as it had emanated dark magic, but he wasn't sure where the Golden Boy had gotten it from. He had made a few pages of what he knew of Horcruxes and Tom Riddle. He needed more information to start concluding more about where and how many Horcruxes he could have made.
He was coming to a dead-end in his research and was patiently waiting for the Hogwarts library to gain more knowledge. He could have easily slipped to Diagon Alley to look for more information, but he knew not many adults took teenagers very seriously, as well as the Death Eaters that lurked around everywhere. He also wasn't about to risk doing too much underage magic in places it could be detected. Inside his home, he could play it off as his mother's as they tended to not pay too much attention in prominent magical areas. His home was one of them only because of his mother's silent defiance against his father when he wasn't home.
Severus stretched out his shoulders, feigning his bad posture that he was trying to improve. He didn't need the facade of the slight ache in his muscles, and he had a bit of irritation at that. Though it wasn't as bad as it usually was when he was in his thirties, he had the war sitting on his shoulders then and an older body.
He wasn't sure if anyone else was in the same position he was in, and he was one not to give away his position unless he wanted to. If he had hidden his loyalties from the Dark Lord, even in death, he was sure he could fool some halfwit into thinking he was still his unruly teenage self.
"Sev!" a voice cut from behind him, and both he and his mother turned. Lily's red hair cut through the crowd but what surprised Severus was the blonde accompanying it.
Petunia and Lily were rushing through the crowd together, or more so the latter was dragging the other at a fast pace.
"The Evans girls?" his mother questioned softly, unsure of what to make of Petunia who she had never seen more than once or twice.
"Yes," he replied, finally letting go of her only to have her grab his bicep with a sharp grip. He looked over at her and was confused to see a glazed look in her eyes. She pulled him towards her in a jerky movement, her mouth resting on the side of his face.
"Don't let people control you," she murmured into his ear but he could hear the way she was speaking to herself as if she had finally made her mind about something.
She pulled away after, her eyes gleaming a bit. Letting go of his arm, she gave him another shock when she pressed a kiss to his head. Twice.
Severus blinked his shock away and nodded slowly. What was she planning? She didn't have any knowledge of the future, and even if she did she had spent the last years of her life in a bubble and unresponsive. She had no idea what young Severus had gone and joined.
"I'll owl you soon," she promised him, which was something he had never heard from her before. His father hated owls. Was she planning to rebel against Tobias? It was long overdue, but how had this revelation come to her? He would have rid her of his father if she had expressed it earlier. He didn't want his mother growing resentment of him if his father just decided that he took two more steps than he should have and a car decided to be in his path or even just stalked off into the night and never came back.
He didn't have enough time to think about it more when Lily and Petunia finally pushed their way through the crowds. That was when he realised that their parents weren't far behind.
"Didn't you hear us calling you?" Lily huffed with a small mock glare.
"Maybe I need battery replacements for my ears," Severus retorted, a smirk etched into his mouth. He would have reacted to the call if his mother hadn't spoken a cryptic message in his ear.
"Hello, Severus," Mrs Evans greeted slightly out of breath, "Mrs Snape."
"Mrs Evans, call me Eileen," she offered softly, giving a slight smile in greetings. She had as many social skills as Severus had, which wasn't saying much. She had never truly given Mrs and Mr Evans the time of day to speak to her, always saying she had errands to run and slip away leaving Severus alone without her. It was a new sudden change that made him a bit nervous, it was obvious his mother was planning something. She wasn't a Slytherin for no reason.
The three adults began to converse lightly, leaving the three children to talk amongst themselves.
"It is still as packed as I remember," Lily sniffed, "I can't believe we are going back for another year."
"Neither am I," he snorted, he never expected to be a student again. It also annoyed him knowing he had to take his O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s again, but he would take them a hundred times over if it meant that Lily saw through the end of the war.
"You guys haven't explained the houses to me yet," Petunia cut in as she glanced around at the different witches and wizards that were scattered about the platform.
Lily launched right in, excitement sparking on her face at her sister's curiosity. It was good to see the newfound change when all he remembered was the contempt and sadness between the two sisters. He listened and added in when it came to Slytherins, smirking when Lily gave him glares for correcting her.
As Petunia and Lily were deep in conversation, he kept an eye on people passing by. They weren't set to leave for another ten minutes or so, and he and his mother had managed to keep up a pleasant conversation with the Evans family.
He took notice of a short and chubby Peter Pettigrew who was gaping in their direction, his mother fixing the tie around his neck. None of the other Marauders was in the vicinity as far as Severus could see. Peter's cheeks misted with pink when he caught sight of his eyes boring into him. Severus was about to glare when he realised where the teenager's eyes had been on, Petunia.
How peculiar, he thought bitterly. The rat was checking out a muggle when he had been following the Dark Lord and his bigotry like it was the word of God. It was obvious that Pettigrew did not possess his memories, or he would never give Petunia a second glance.
He turned to look more at Petunia before glancing back at Peter, tilting his head in a questioning manner.
The blond ducked his head, murmuring something to his mother. Interesting.
Thoughts swirled in his head, wondering if he could turn the rodent's way of thinking around to protect Lily. Not just that, he could find a use of Pettigrew in the war despite his lack of talent. If he thought Snape had something to offer and wasn't being shadowed by the other Marauders he would most likely jump at the prospect of success and safety. Severus was sure that Petunia would swoon at a wizard's power if he was trying to impress her, and god knows that would boost the rat's confidence.
Severus chuckled. Even if using Pettigrew could come in handy, he would have to find a way to push past his hatred. He wasn't sure how possible that would be. Petunia and Pettigrew, it was a hilarious thought. She would be his master, with how he followed so blindly behind Black and Potter- James. He didn't like the way Potter sounded now as it left a sort of hollow feeling in his stomach instead of the usual loathing. He concluded as to why the name would change for him as he could only picture calling and reprimanding a certain green-eyed boy.
"What're you laughing about?" Petunia demanded, scrunching up her face.
Severus gave it a moment's thought before he decided to embarrass Peter, and stated, "a wizard is ogling you."
"Who?" Lily babbled, looking around at the crowd, "who's checking out my sister, I'll show them my hexes."
"Lily!" Petunia shrieked quietly with embarrassment, but she too glanced around to see who was truly interested in her.
Severus, horrified by his actions as he realised he might've just pushed the two towards each other, pointed towards Peter who hadn't been looking at them since he had been embarrassed by the Slytherin. He hadn't made his mind whether Pettigrew would be useful to his plans or not, but he could make do.
The two girls glanced over to where he had pointed, causing the rat to look up to see all of them staring in his general direction. He squeaked and started to pull his mother in the opposite direction.
"Him? That evil sod?" Lily said with a grimace.
"What's wrong with him?" Petunia asked, her face splotchy where blush began to appear.
"He is an arse who follows these arses who are all toe rags," Lily mumbled so she wouldn't get scolded for her language, "they pick on Sev and anyone who doesn't fit their standards. Munters they are."
Petunia scrunched her face up at that, which made Severus snort. He wasn't sure if he had just set Petunia against Pettigrew or not. He wasn't about to object to it though. The bloke was stupid anyway. He was glad to hear the disdain that Lily held for the Marauders still.
They turned to their parents to bid their farewells when Severus noticed the time. He turned to his mother and grabbed her by both her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. "If you need anything," he insisted, "owl me, please."
"I should be saying that to you."
"We can do it for each other, mum," he retorted with a small smile.
The warning whistle of the train set off as Lily and Severus boarded, after an awkward hug from both his mother and Petunia. The Evans too busy bidding farewells to Lily to force a hug on him.
They found themselves in a compartment with Mary Davies. A small Ravenclaw with black hair situated in a bun that wasn't neat but not messy either. She was in the same year as both he and Lily if he recalled correctly. If he was correct she married Reginald Cattermole shortly after her graduation. She didn't seem to be bothered or frightened by their presence which was different for Severus. Most people in school weren't comfortable near him except his Death Eater 'friends' who even then treated him like he was shit on their boots some days, excluding Avery and Regulus. They were the only peers he had besides Lily that accepted him the way he was, though he put an act on in front of Avery most of the time.
Severus waved goodbye alongside Lily to the Evans and his mother as the train gave its final whistle and started its descent towards Scotland.
Lily and Mary talked to each other, hitting it off as soon as they both learned they had muggle parents. Lily had moved to sit next to Mary, which he didn't mind. He sat and listened to the conversation, but the redhead slyly mentioned that Severus had a muggle dad. This launched the two girls into comparing muggle things and dragging him into the conversation. He tried to get out of talking but after some warming up he found that Mary was a rather intelligent and endearing person. He had never talked to her before, mostly because he had been busy trying to be accepted into the Slytherin house. His housemates ostracised him greatly and his younger self had been blinded by the want of acceptance. Not anymore, he would tear himself away from them slowly without suspicion. He did not plan on joining the Death Eaters and finding himself Albus Dumbledore's pawn again.
While he planned to 'stumble' upon the prophecy again at nineteen, he did not have much in common with his past self. He wasn't about to rush off to tell the Dark Lord while lusting for the power it could bring him.
"Most Ravenclaws are half-bloods, no offence Severus," Mary started with a sheepish look when Severus gave her a raised eyebrow, "I didn't think there were many muggle-borns here."
"Me either, I met Sev when we were younger and he explained magic to me. He even told me I was a witch, I had no idea there was a whole other world."
The compartment door opened, cutting off the chatter as a familiar head of dark hair popped into the room. Regulus rubbed the back of his neck as he caught sight of Severus. They hadn't become great friends yet, but the two enjoyed each other's company because many of the other Slytherins' brushed them off leaving both isolated.
"Can I join you?" he inquired with a soft tone, "there isn't anywhere else I am welcome really."
"Sure," Mary chirped, Lily nodding in agreeance.
Regulus settled down next to Severus, visibly relaxing next to him. It looked like he was glad he wasn't going to get stuck in the compartment with two girls. He didn't express any opinions of hating muggle-borns, but he followed the majority and became a death eater. Severus could tell he was trying to fit in and please his parents since Sirius became the disappointment of the family. He was the better son, and it led to resentment between the two brothers.
There were nights when the two would be battling each other in wizards chess and Regulus would complain about his family, especially his brother.
"How was your summer?" Severus inquired, wondering what rant the boy had this time.
"You wouldn't believe me-" Regulus looked perturbed when he was cut off by a bang of the compartment door opening. It caused all the occupants to look over at who had made the loud noise. It wasn't much of a surprise to Severus to see Sirius Black glaring directly at him and Regulus. James peered around him, eyes transfixed on Lily, with a Peter seeming to materialize right next to him. Pettigrew was nervous, and it made Snape smirk. He knew he'd caused the uneasiness and wasn't afraid to show his satisfaction.
"Snivellus!" Sirius barked, "got yourself a gang of protectors because you can't handle us?"
"Need all the girls to protect you, Snivellus?" James put in with a laugh, leaning against Sirius as Peter seemed to retreat and disappear.
Severus was about to retort a sarcastic reply when Mary cut in. "Why don't you go and bother someone else with your presence, wankers."
"Manky tossers," Lily added in, crossing her arms in annoyance.
Black was put off by the two girls' insults, confused by Mary's defence. Severus couldn't blame him though, he was just as confused. "Fine, I was just here for my brother," he finally said, "Reg come on."
"After you told me to sod off from your compartment?"
"I was joking, mate."
"Sirius," Remus Lupin's voice broke through, his appearance not much a surprise when Peter appeared at his side. What was surprising was Pettigrew ratting on his other friends.
"Moony," Sirius said irritably, "what? I'm doing what you suggested."
Suggested? Severus' eyes narrowed at that as his irritation dissipated, Lupin had suggested that Sirius fetched his brother after kicking him away? What was the wolf playing at? When had he ever tried to improve the relationship between the two brothers?
Making eye contact with Remus, Severus probed slightly to see if he could grab anything that would give him a clue as to his sudden meddling in the mutt's relationship with his brother. He got a small flash of Lupin telling Black off for forcing Regulus to leave before Remus broke eye contact in a slight panic.
"Leave them both alone, if he doesn't want to come back don't make him," he stated after rubbing his temples, pretending he hadn't even looked at Severus. "This is unwarranted for both Regulus and Severus."
"Thank you," Regulus expressed gratefully. The other Slytherin only supplied a suspicious glare towards the Gryffindor.
"What're you on, Remus?" James questioned, pushing his way past Peter, "stop bothering Snivellus? You're just as barmy as that Ravenclaw girl."
Lily bristled at the lack of insult pointed at her. "Shove off," she said, standing up and pushing Sirius out of the compartment.
"We'll talk about it back in our compartment," Remus comforted a nervous gleam to his eyes. He seemed to realise the mistakes he was making.
"Take a shower, greasy git!" Black shouted from over his shoulder as he was pushed out.
"Take a flea bath you mangy mutt," Severus hissed as he finally was able to get a word in, glad he had kept himself composed throughout the whole encounter. He would have hexed Sirius and James out the door if no one had been present, and he was already planning a surprise attack to put them on their guard. He had expected to run into the Marauders at some point during the train ride, but not the defending he had received from the other people in the compartment, it had been rather new besides Lily.
Regulus snorted beside him at his comment, a nod of agreeance before he sobered up. "I'm sorry about Sirius," he apologised, "you know him."
"Don't apologise for him," Mary chided, "he can say sorry himself when he realises how much of an arse he is being."
"That'll be the day," Severus muttered.
Lily gave her a disbelieving look and shook her head. "You'd have to shackle him by his ankles and torture him before he would apologise to us, especially to those two."
"Right," Regulus whispered, eyes drooping at her sentence, "he's just good at annoying everyone."
"Maybe he'll realise at some point," she argued weakly, trying to see the good in people.
"You don't have them ambushing you around every corner," Severus grounded out, never having admitted that to anyone before. If he was still his unruly self at this age he probably would have died before admitting that the Marauders had an upper hand at him in any way. Now, he was going to admit some of those things to get through to Lily that they were worse than she thought. He had been slipping hints throughout the summer, acting a little more vulnerable than he ever had before. It was a start to a scheme of slipping away from his Death Eater peers. The Marauders weren't any better than his housemates.
Lily frowned.
"Oh," Mary hummed, taken back by the new revelation, "they've all got to stop being so full of themselves."
"Remus is the only nice one," Regulus put in, bringing Lupin back to the forefront of Severus' mind.
"He's kind to everyone," Lily agreed, "remember, Sev? He was a study friend for us for a while."
Severus shrugged with irritation, leaning back, "he watches them bully and doesn't do anything."
"Looks like he was doing something now," Mary observed.
"Yeah, it was kinda weird actually…"
Hogwarts was just as magnificent as Severus remembered it being when he had been a student there, but the memories of his past year as the headmaster were stained into his mind like a blotch of ink. Slowly sinking into every crevice. He had returned alone and had isolated himself in the Headmaster's office when he wasn't doing the Dark Lord's bidding or keeping a hawk-like eye on the children and protecting them as much as he could. The only friend he had interacted with without judgement was Poppy, who was grateful for bringing her students and potions to help as many people he could without giving his position away. He could not stand the looks he got from staff and students, they looked at him as if he were a monster. He certainly felt like one after everything, especially when Minerva had called him a coward. A good friend he had made through simple house rivalries now looked at him with anger and disdain, and she would never find out the truth. The only person who had the truth was Potter, he had given him the memories for him to realise that he had some of Voldemorts' soul inside him. He knew he had given more than that but he wasn't about to admit it to anyone, ever.
He had no idea if Harry had succeeded in defeating the Dark Lord, but Severus couldn't worry about that anymore. He wasn't going to let the tide of the war sit on a child's shoulder who's parents died protecting him. He was going to end it before a child became the hero for a bunch of scared adults who were too much of cowards to do anything themselves.
He was already changing the future by a few simple actions. Petunia wasn't hateful of the wizarding world anymore, though probably still bitter that she did not possess magical abilities. He had only done it to improve Lily's and Petunia's relationship, but who knew if it was a monumental step towards victory. He had accidentally acquired some sort of friendship with Mary Davies. If her relaxed and happy appearance around him wasn't a sign, then he had no idea what was.
The four started towards the carriages when the train arrived, chatting amongst each other. Severus momentarily let himself forget what lies ahead for the future and enjoyed the moment.
That came to an abrupt end when he caught sight of the thestrals, dampening his mood. He had been hoping that maybe because he hadn't seen death at this age they would be invisible to him once more. They contradicted him by their very existence. He had first seen them in his fifth year after his father's death. He had come downstairs to see his father slurring and slumping on the couch. At first, Severus hadn't understood his father was dying right in front of him, and neither had Tobias. The man had barked at him to leave him alone before drifting off and relaxing. Severus had just scoffed and left him, not realising that he had stopped breathing.
He had been the first of many deaths he had seen.
"You see them too?"
The voice shook him out of his stupor and he realised that Regulus already had a carriage claimed and was ushering Mary in. Lily was urging him from the distance, an annoyed expression on her face. Annoyed he hadn't been following them as closely as she thought.
"Sev, come on!"
Ignoring her he turned to see what face belonged to the voice. The voice had been wispy and light, not all there. Xenophilius stared at him with a slight smile on his face. His light hair gleaming in the light countering the dishevelled look it had to it.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"Oh- Uhm, I suppose they are," Severus replied curtly, seeing Luna Lovegood in his eyes.
"The Nargles quite like to stay away from them," Xenophilius followed after Severus when he started to walk towards the carriage, encouraged by the lack of sod off, "it seems like they don't quite like hanging around you either."
"Nargles," he said, ignoring the last sentence and tasting the word in his mouth. He remembered days when the Lovegood girl showed up in his potions lab during the first weekend that she had been in her first year convincing him, of all people, to let her help him prepare ingredients for the potions he was brewing for Madam Pomphrey. She had made it a routine and popped around more often than not. At first, he had shooed her away but relented. Most days he would want to hex her tongue to the top of her mouth, but he didn't have the heart to do it. So he had listened, with irritation, of course, but he had listened to the girl and her odd made-up creatures and theories.
It seemed she and her father had more commonality than he thought.
"Oh yes, they inhabit-"
"Mistletoe," Severus cut him off, both of them stopping next to the carriage. Lily had grown impatient and headed in the carriage by herself but was holding it open for him.
Xenophilius' eyes glowed with a sudden admiration, to Snape's sudden horror, and grinned at him. "Yes!" he exclaimed and climbed into the carriage before Severus could object.
He followed after, exasperated when he was forced to squeeze in between Xenophilius and Regulus. Mary and Lily inhabiting the other side. The three in the carriage looked beyond confused by Xenophilius' presence while Severus looked fatigued.
They spent the ride conversing and listening to the white-haired teenager spout several cryptic messages to the topics they were on. Regulus and Mary enjoying the looks and snorts the other two were giving Xenophilius, but not being rude and dissuading any of his beliefs and opinions. Though the four of them started to enjoy the odd look on things he had, which made the conversations flow more easily, even if Severus was primarily quiet. He was refraining from the sarcastic remarks that bubbled up his throat, reminded greatly of Luna whenever he glanced at her father. He took the same look when they listened and talked to him as if no one ever bothered to listen to him before.
Soon enough the five were heading towards the feast, chatting pleasantly amongst themselves. Severus was growing more exasperated by the minute, not knowing how he had rounded up two Ravenclaws. The only friends that he had that treated him as an equal before had been Lily and Regulus. Now he had Mary and Xenophilius seemingly drawn to him and his friends. Albeit, Mary seemed to be grabbing onto people who knew muggle culture and Xenophilius was welcomed by the lack of jeers at his queerness and his destitute look to him; nonetheless, they had attached to Severus, Regulus, and Lily.
He was surprised by how much could change when he had his temper in reign and he thought things through. He had control now, but he cursed his younger self for the lack of self-control. Perhaps if he had had it before he wouldn't be here doing this, and things would be different. Deciding he couldn't dwell on the past, that he wasn't about to experience again, and focused on the feast.
They split off to their respective houses and he and Regulus sat down to eat.
It was odd to be sitting as a student instead of as a teacher, and he found Slughorn in his spot which settled wrong inside his stomach. He almost wanted to march up there and demand his spot back, when he was the bat of the dungeons and feared potions master. Avoiding looking at Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore he began to think over what it meant now that he was a student. Now, he had to go through his mastery again. Though he already knew he was one didn't mean he had that title legally anymore. He could easily support him and his mother with a few deals and ingredients, no one would ever know. Being paid under the table was far easier than trying to find work to do with what he had to do as the years progressed.
He and Regulus spoke softly to each other, getting a few looks of scorn and jabs at their apparent friendliness to each other. Young Snape would have fought back and made a right fool of himself. This time he sat silently and let their words roll off him, though he sent a stinging hex or two at them from under the table. Serves them right.
Severus picked some assorted fruit, forgetting how much he missed fruit in its entirety. While at home his mother used rather fresh food to feed the household as they tended not to have much money to buy much at all or in bulk with his father's habits. Fruit to him was a dessert and treat. He stopped midbite when his mind reeled in on a certain memory, the last time he had eaten fruit was before he'd died, it was a few strawberries trying to settle his stomach from what he knew was about to happen when Harry had been spotted in Hogsmeade.
"Severus?" Regulus spoke up, seeing the change in his mate's behaviour, "are you alright?"
Finally taking a bite of the fruit after being snapped out of his memory. He was having too many flashbacks for his liking. "Yes," he replied curtly, not wanting to explain himself and cooled his face into a mask.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," he said gruffly, averting his gaze to the Ravenclaw table to see Mary chatting with other Ravenclaw girls with Xenophilius seeming to waft in and out of the conversations. Turning his eyes towards the Gryffindor table to see Lily he caught sight of Lupin who was penetrating the side of Severus' head with his gaze.
Glaring at him as red flags began to wave inside his head, he knew he was going to have to keep an eye on the werewolf. He had no idea what the teenager was planning, but he seemed to have more knowledge than he was supposed to know. If he had been trying to hide it, he had done a miserable job at it. Lupin wasn't quite acting right, something off about him.
He was going to have to keep a close eye on him. Severus couldn't just confront him and demand if he had any knowledge of the future. If he was wrong it would just be leaving Lupin thinking he was barmy. He couldn't slip into his head from clear across the room without difficulties and he didn't want Lupin panicking and causing a scene.
Strategically, he turned away slowly from Lupin's gaze and offered a topic of conversation to Regulus. The topic seemed to catch Avery's attention and brought himself into the conversation. If Severus could act natural and calm Lupin wouldn't suspect the attack coming his way.
Severus fell into an easy routine as he juggled keeping a close eye on Lupin and researching Riddle and Horcruxes. He had found himself in an unused classroom in the dungeons, far enough away from Slughorn's prying eyes but close enough to swipe ingredients if he wished to brew. He was sure quite a few students would be interested in purchasing potions they couldn't make themselves. If he could get that rumour spinning he could make a few galleons.
Mary and Xenophilius kept coming back despite what he had thought, he had expected them to drift away back into their normal routine after a few days but they were persistent. They joined him and Lily in the libraries when the two were studying, though Xenophilius was a bit of a distraction at times. Regulus became a regular occurrence as well as he began to warm up to Lily, who he had never known very well in the past. It seemed Severus' lack of spite and contrite over certain topics gave Regulus a better sense of security in their friendship.
Sitting in the library by himself for the first time this term, he ran his eyes through a book of family histories, he had spent several days trying to find families directly related to Salazar Slytherin. He had finally caught the scent and had found a family called the Gaunts, he cursed himself when he remembered Dumbledore mentioning them a few times. Frustration was boiling up from the lack of information they seemed to have. He had barely connected Merope Gaunt to Riddle when he was interrupted.
"What've you got there?"
Turning, he caught Corban Yaxley sneering over his shoulder. Glad the spell he had on his journal caused anyone but him to see the words in complete gibberish. He had almost expected to see Black or James behind him, but they had been awfully quiet since the train ride. Probably Lupin's doing.
"Is that your business?" he snapped with a lack of emotion.
"Trying to find something worth anything in your blood, Snape?" Yaxley retorted, angered by the lack of response to his tone, "you're filthy blood traitor of a mother not enough-?"
"Levicorpus," Severus stated irritably, collecting his things. He had finished his essays earlier and had wanted time to research. Frustrated and irritated by Yaxley's appearance.
"Hey!"
Severus cast a silencing charm from over his shoulder. If he couldn't research in peace he could surely find himself wandering around to look for Lupin or spend some time with Regulus.
He turned and deflected a hex, Yaxley had managed to get his wand while he was upside down. Yaxley cursed him silently, his fist flailing but failing to connect against Severus' head. He sent an accio for his wand, setting it down on the table inches from his grasp. He could get it if he tried.
Ducking beneath his flying fists Severus manoeuvred around Yaxley and set off towards the exit. The spell would be broken off when he was far enough away and not bothering to concentrate on it anymore.
The next morning was bleary as he had an unsuccessful time finding any sign that Lupin knew anything and had returned to the Slytherin common room irritable but pleased. He had gotten to put a few hexes upon the other Marauders when they had seen him. They had raised their wands first and he had only defended himself, at least according to what he had pleaded to Professor Flitwick. Who had appeared and witnessed part of the small fight that had broken loose. He had been sent to his common room with twenty fewer points for the Slytherin house.
The weekend bore down on them and Severus sat down at the table next to a sleepy-looking Regulus, he grabbed some porridge and a cup of coffee intending to let the day start warmly. He watched the owls fly in, still waiting for the letter his mother had promised. He had been expecting it, but it never came. He supposed he was rather used to disappointment, but it bothered him more than usual. Severus knew exactly why, but he ignored it and picked at the plain porridge in his bowl.
A letter dropped into his bowl before he had a chance to register it. Gently running his fingers against the envelope he looked up to see a Great Grey owl blinking at him. Its feathers gave its head a dome look. When he removed the letter from his bowl the owl helped itself to his porridge.
Regulus gave the disruption a glance, and he stared at the owl. "Who's owl is that?"
Ignoring him, Severus opened the letter. Scouring its contents and becoming lightheaded.
Dear Severus,
Your father is dead.
I am sorry it took longer than I hoped to send this earlier but I had to acquire an owl. I will give you a few days to reply before I inform faculty of the sudden death. I fear drinking became too much for his liver to handle.
The owl is yours now, name her. Do tell me what she is called in your letter back.
Love,
Mum
Severus blinked slowly to take in the letter. His father's sudden death shook him, and he knew that he hadn't died because of his disgusting habits. His mother's sudden change in demeanour at the train station explained everything he needed to know. She had found a way to get rid of him herself, without his help. He couldn't bring himself to care that his father was dead, it almost brought him a sense of elation.
The concerning thing was the second part of the letter, his mother had just handed off an owl to him without consulting him first.
"Severus," Regulus cut in as he saw the edges of the letter become crumpled in his grip, "whose owl is this?"
"Mine," he hissed, "my mother decided to buy an owl to send one letter and drop her responsibility on me."
"What're you gonna name it?" he said, trying to lighten the mood Severus had fallen into.
"Vex, as it is how I feel at the moment."
"That's a pretty brilliant name actually."
The owl hooted in agreement with Regulus, both unaffected by his snappish mood.
Snape shot them both a glare, his appetite gone, "shut up."
Regulus snorted, offering, "I can take Vex up to the owlery for you."
"Thank you," he expressed, giving him a grateful nod and reigning his temper down. He stroked Vex's feathers down with his hand to give her thanks for the letter. Straightening up, he said, "If you'll excuse me, I'll see you in the library?"
"Yes, of course."
With that Severus stood up and stalked out of the great hall, the letter still in his hand. He became aware of someone following him as he made it to the dungeons stairs, he also knew who it was immediately. He'd memorized the way Remus Lupin's sounded when he walked. This gave him the proof he needed, but he wasn't going to jump into questions that would give his position away. Best to make the wolf spill it himself.
Turning down the opposite hallway of the classroom he had taken as his own, he diverted Lupin towards a less used part of the dungeons. He almost laughed at the attempts of sneaking he seemed to be doing. He could tell his plans were half baked in his head which showed his Gryffindor tendencies of jumping into danger before thinking.
At the last second, he spun around and flew around the corner to where Remus was trying to stay hidden.
"Explain," he growled, wand pressed up against his throat.
Remus swallowed nervously, realising he had fallen into the Slytherins' trap. He watched as Severus' eyes flashed dangerously. "I wanted to talk to you," he said with honesty, "I couldn't well do it when my mates are around, they've already tried once to hex you to hell."
"You didn't even try to call my name once," he observed plainly.
"You would have hexed me."
The statement was true by all means. "Who's to say I won't hex you now?" he inquired, his tone vexing.
"I'm sure you want to know what I want to talk to you about," Lupin stated calmly, "you can hex me afterwards after you get what you want."
Severus' eyes narrowed, pulling his wand away from his neck but not lowering it. "And what is that?"
"May 2nd," he whispered skin paling at the words he said.
Severus involuntarily paled himself but his expression remained behind a cool mask. He didn't reply, letting the silence speak for him.
Remus ran a hand through his hair as he breathed in the thick air, interpreting the silence Severus gave him and the way his sullen skin almost looked transparent. It took him all of a minute before his face flushed in anger. Getting his bearings together he pulled out his own wand, unsure whether Snape would just kill him off then and there. This was when he was realising how dangerous and unplanned this truly was.
"You know!" he accused though his ton was still its infuriating calm despite his emotional display, "how could you?"
"What would I have done to warrant this anger?" Severus questioned vehemently.
"Betrayed him," Remus explained, his anger growing by the minute, "how could you have done it, Severus? Killed the very man who defended your name, gave you sanctuary here. Gave you a life when you wouldn't have had one. Who are you without Albus Dumbledore?"
Severus growled, outraged at the accusations that were being thrown at him. He knew no one in the order knew of his loyalties, but it still offended him. Casting a muffliato, he let his anger take control of him and spat, "who are you without the pigheaded Marauders, Lupin? A sad little coward who runs away when you're too scared to face the truth? Let them bully whoever they don't see fit to their idea of society? How dare you ask me, you have no fucking right you stupid wolf."
Taken back by Severus' attack, he gaped at him. "Severus, you don't know how it was for the order when you killed him. We all lost hope and the order was crumbling and the horrors the death eaters brought."
"I don't know how the death of the headmaster was or how the Death Eaters worked? I don't know- me? Are you senile, already? Who would have thought that him asking me to take pity on him and kill him in those last moments so it wasn't a fucking child who became a murderer?!" Severus twitched as he began to occlude some of his anger back, but continued his tirade. "He asked me to kill him, Lupin! I had no other choice, that man was a mentor and a good … man to me. I was just a pawn, in the end, never meant to see the light find their victory. A mere accessory for the Headmaster to use as he pleased. You don't think I don't know how it feels? We've seen the war that they'll never fucking see and you don't think I understand? Get it through your thick skull, we are both damaged and scarred. Reassure yourself Lupin! They'll call this the worst war, this first rising and outburst of Death Eaters who haven't had years to plan and perfect their magic."
Remus sobered up immediately. "They'll never see what happens."
"No one else will ever have to live as we did, I won't allow it."
"The snatchers," He shivered.
"They'll never exist, they'll never infiltrate the government."
Remus didn't answer, instead, he stared right at Severus. He, of course, let him stare and take in the information. He hadn't meant to spill as much as he had in his bout of anger and regretted letting anger control his words. The accusation mixed with the frustration of not being able to have read Lupin earlier had made him burst.
"Come with me, Lupin," he ordered when the silence grew annoying to him, cancelling his charm, "I have a place we can talk more privately."
"No," Remus replied, planted to the spot, "I can't entirely trust you."
"How Slytherin of you," he spat sarcastically, "what do you want me to do? Sneak into the Headmasters' office and let you see my memories?"
"Yes."
"What?" Severus blanched, "are you idiotic…?" He stopped his line of insults when he realised the idiocy of the plan could be just what he needed. He could gain access to Albus' memories he kept stashed away. It could be just the way to see what memories the old man had collected about the Dark Lord. He would just have to get a list of people who Dumbledore would interview for information of such importance as Riddle.
"Alright," Severus stated after a moment, the plan already swirling through his head.
They were going to sneak into the Headmasters office.
You all are so great with suggestions and your opinions, and I forgot to address all the Snily comments last chapter. It is one of my favourite ships, but I have been honestly at a standstill on if I should do it or not. I honestly believe Severus would have a huge battle with himself when it comes to romance cuz the man barely has any experience in that department. It is really enticing to do, but I'm still struggling to make the decision. I am still having an internal battle about it because of how complicated the relationship is and their dynamic is, so it isn't decided yet, but don't drop the fanfic because of my indecisiveness unless you wanted just romance. I am planning a snily fanfic soon, would you read it? :( I am trying to focus on the bigger aspects of it, so romance isn't going to be as prominent as other things like friendship, but still there because Voldemort likes to get in the way of lots of things haha.