Disclaimer: All characters belong to the queen J.K. Rowling and this is just a work of fanfiction.

Author notes:

Hello peeps! I am SO sorry for my lateness… I just joined my job and had to relocate to a new city, so I got lost in the packing, travelling and the beginning of job stuff. I will try to write and update as soon as I can in the future. Gotta learn how to manage work and fic-writing!

Also I had some trouble uploading this chapter… Sorry!

This story is inspired by 'They didn't know we were seeds' by LucyLuna. That story is mind-blowing and you should check it out.

As always, my beta HogwartsDreamer113 has worked wonders on this chapter.

AN IMPORTANT SHOUTOUT!

This is a shout-out to one of the most mind-blowing author I have ever had the opportunity to talk to… The author Trinkisme has been my first internet buddy and her fics are absolutely awesome. Each and every one of them.

She is going through a tough time right now and, I am sure I speak for every one of you, when I convey our prayers and love. She has sailed through tough times with a smile worthy of Remus Lupin, and I admire her a lot. This is to you, my dear Trink and to your loving and supporting hubby! May Apollo and Hestia smile down upon him and your family! We all hope and pray he gets well soon. We all love you Trink!

The Second try.

Chapter 10: Something to think about.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins went their separate ways after Potions class. Severus briefly grasped Lily's hand in reassurance as they exited the classroom and left for their classes. As the first year Slytherins were nearing the hall, a group of fourth years blocked their path.

"So, you think you can beat us all?" the one in the front called out.

Severus turned slightly to his dorm mates and said, "I believe it is better if you guys go ahead. I will catch up with you soon." When the others left he remarked, "Also, I'd rather not lose all the points Slytherins has managed to gain by fighting in the corridors."

Severus turned around and marched straight to the nearest classroom which was thankfully empty. Strange, they didn't try to hex him while his back was turned. He turned to see the four grinning maliciously.

A conjunctivitis curse came his way and he stepped out of the way. Three more curses followed and he blocked them with ease. He saw two of them move away slowly from the group while the other two kept throwing spells at him. They wanted to catch him from the sides and he knew things would escalate from here. He couldn't let that happen. He wanted to avoid the attention of the professors.

He suddenly dropped his shield and fell to his knees and let the remaining curses sail over his head. In an instant he fired four curses which hit their targets successfully. The fourth years wasted no time and started firing more curses. Instead of being hit from a bone breaking hex, two cutting hex and a stunner, four ducks sprouted out of the respective wands and landed on the floor, quacking.

Severus chuckled at the scene and the boys snarled out a few more curses which resulted in more ducks. He disarmed them with a smirk. His wand was trained at their faces as their fear showed through their masks.

"Not to worry boys. I don't hurt unarmed boys. Unlike some…" he trailed off glaring at the upper-years, who glared right back. Severus tossed their wands back. He stood leaning against a desk as the boys left the room sneering at him and then headed off to the great hall, thinking about the ducks bursting out of the wands.

It was late in the evening, when Severus sat in the common room on a comfy armchair beside the fireplace and with him were West, Chase, Fawley and Watson. They were speaking quietly about their situation and how they could meet without raising attention. That was when he saw one of his fellow year-mates, Jordan Owen, stumble over the entrance, his eyes widening when he saw Severus. He ran over to him.

"Severus, they have Matthew! We were returning from the library, and they dragged us off… They said he was the reason this entire mess started and that you humiliated them. They were going to hurt him real bad! They sent me to fetch you, please! I… "

What had started in a hushed voice had grown louder and louder till the entire room was staring at the group. Severus saw a bit of dried blood under his nose. Having faith that the four would calm Jordan and help him, Severus got up without a word and swiftly left the room. He headed towards the library and was not surprised to see Lucius waiting for him in front of one the unused rooms near the library.

Lucius watched with his wand held ready as Severus approached him. The first year was unarmed, but he had seen how powerful this kid was. He knew the Dark Lord would be pleased if he joined them. The problem was Snape's view of things. He was friends with the Mudblood and this whole thing started with that blasted boy's hatred of that very word! Lucius was just a fifth year, but he knew he would have to join the Death Eaters. He was expected to. His father was the closest thing the Dark Lord had to a friend and the Dark Lord would expect him to fall to his knees and take the mark. He had no choice in the matter.

Severus came to a halt in front of Lucius. He saw the hand grip the elm wand tighter and he raised his hands.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" he asked the fifth year.

Lucius opened the door, and Severus walked in. The door behind clicked closed, locked by the blond behind him. Severus observed the sight in front of him. The Muggleborn, Matthew Cameron, was crying on the floor, and standing around him, with various levels of disgust on their faces were Rabastan Lestrange and Amycus Carrow. Severus had found out after his first duel in the common room that Matthew was the Muggleborn the fourth year was insulting in the common room. They were all fifth years, and were expected to take the mark when they graduated. Matthew was clutching his arm. It was clearly broken. He also had a few bruises here and there, and his nose was broken.

"Well, well, look who it is. The snake who wants to change the house…" Rabastan mocked.

"Let him go. You wanted me, and I am here, but he goes to the hospital wing," Severus demanded.

"Oh no. He stays. He will see a Mudblood lover get beaten, and learn the true value of filth like you in this world," Lestrange taunted.

Severus raised one eyebrow and replied, "If you people want to let him watch me, a first year, beat you in a duel then it's fine by me…"

Lucius walked toward the front and quietly said, "Let him go. His friends are bound to come searching and it's better to avoid the attention of others. Let him go."

"Fine! Get out of our sight, Mudblood," Amycus snarled, and the other two sneered as Matthew picked himself up and stumbled toward the door.

As soon as Severus saw Matthew leave, he shifted his attention back to the fifth years. "You know, I was expecting you to ambush me for quite some time now. Never thought you would go as far as taking a fellow housemate as hostage. So pathetic…" Severus remarked.

"You talk big kid. You are nothing but a pathetic half-blood with Mudbloods and blood traitors for friends. You will never win against us," Rabastan sneered.

Severus gave a short laugh and commented, "Have you not received the reports from the others? I have won every duel you all have thrown at me, and frankly, they were pitiful. I doubt you all would be better. I guess inbreeding took its toll…"

Severus smirked in satisfaction when three spells whooshed his way, and he calmly ducked out of their path.

"A Stupefy, Carrow? Please, the Muggleborn you were using as a dummy could cast better spells. Pathetic, Carrow," Severus said as he stood with his wand at the ready. He put up a shield as a bone breaking hex hurtled toward him. The others threw spell after spell, trying to break his shield, but it held strong. He stood firm as he held against the barrage of the spells thrown by the older students. He continued to taunt them, and soon the simple spells turned to vicious and dangerous ones, bordering on dark. Severus always had a vicious tongue and he needed no spell to make the three angry.

Severus's shield cracked when it encountered a powerful Reducto from Rabastan's wand. The three smirked and attacked with glee. Severus braced himself and held his shield. When the crack grew, he held it for a few seconds and then suddenly dropped the shield and flicked his wand, making a dense fog fill the room in an instant. Lucius swished his wand, and the fog disappeared. The three boys stood against the first year, and Severus' eyes darted to each teenager observing each small movement they made.

They continued to have a silent standoff, waiting for the other person to make a move. Severus suddenly exploded into movement, slashing out hexes and jinxes. The fifth years blocked many of them, countering with their own. Severus returned fire. He did not include his own creations; he did not want to give way his advantage. His sleeve tore, and his arm started to bleed from a cutting hex. He returned with the same, and Rabastan hissed with pain.

"Expluso!"

A crater stood where Severus had been standing, and as soon as the dust cleared, Severus fired with renewed vigour. He had to wrap this up and soon. He fired hex after hex, curse after curse. He countered, blocked and took a few hits. Each hit he took was calculated and was used as a distraction or a sacrifice to send out his spell. His arms were throbbing with pain and his right knee was reversed. He ignored the pain and focused. These pains were mere pin pricks when compared to the Cruciatus the Dark Lord handed out.

He blocked a Blood Freezing Hex from Carrow, and his eyes narrowed in anger. That hex was lethal if the antidote was not administered immediately. They were casting without knowing the consequences of the curse! This duel would end now. A cutting hex hit Lucius on the arm, followed by a silent Knockback Jinx. He hit the wall with a crack. Severus shot a Jinx that made a victim lose all five senses towards the younger Lestrange. Blinded, deaf and unable to find his sense of touch, the Lestrange toppled over and fell. He could not hear, see or feel anything. Carrow roared with fury and attacked with a hex and Severus heard the bones in his wand arm shatter.

Without missing a beat, he took the wand in the other arm and hurtled the furniture toward the fifth year. He blasted the first two chairs, but had to fall to the ground to avoid the desks that shot towards him from all directions. This gave the opening Severus needed. He petrified him and summoned his wand.

He stood breathing heavily, his wand in the wrong hand and body throbbing with pain. He turned his knee back in the right direction and walked towards the three boys. He woke Malfoy and bandaged his head with a spell. Severus cast the counter spell on the Lestrange trapped without his senses, while Lucius released the other. When Severus saw the focus returning to the eyes of Rabastan, he turned and walked towards the door.

"What was that spell?" a voice rasped out and Severus turned to see Rabastan sitting on the floor flexing his fingers.

"Perdit Sensus, the spell of lost senses. Makes the victim lose all the five sense until the counter is cast," Severus replied. "I hope this proves to all you dunderheads that I can defeat each and every one of you. No more targeting fellow house members over their blood. Unless you all want a rumour to spread that you were defeated by a mere half-blood, who is a friend of Mudbloods and blood traitors. I don't think your family and your boss would take that news kindly, do you?"

Severus watched the reactions on their faces before he continued "I know who your families support, and what you boys will be doing after you leave the Hogwarts. I don't think he will mark you if you were defeated by a mere first year."

"You can join us Snape. You are powerful and will be very valuable to him. You can be rich and powerful. You could rise to be the right hand of the Dark Lord!" Lucius offered.

Typical Lucius. Trying to make every situation benefit him. Severus smirked. "I am not interested in riches or power. I know for fact if I join, I will get neither. I refuse to be a slave to the ideas of a mad man. He will use my abilities, earnings and position to his benefit and for his cause, no one else's. I do not think any Dark Lord for that matter, cared for his followers. He will torture, exploit and murder as he wishes. He will not care if he is killing his victims or his followers."

Severus walked to the door and turned around to face them again. "Let me tell you a little fact. The Dark Lord who wishes to make the Purebloods great again by killing all the Muggles has been lying to you from the beginning. Did you know the he is actually a half-blood called Tom Riddle? He is not even a pureblood. He is just a disgruntled half-blood using all of you to do his dirty work. Do you think he will break you out of Azkaban if you get caught? Do you think he will care for your families? He will hold them hostage, take over your wealth and plunder it for his ideas. He would not bat an eye if you and your family are tossed onto the cold street or sent to prison."

"LIES!" bellowed the younger Lestrange brother.

Severus shrugged. "Go and do your research then. Maybe, your brother or sister-in-law can ask the Dark Lord… It is just something for you to think about." With that he turned on his heel and left, closing the door behind him.

Before Rabastan could even get up from the floor, the door creaked open, and Severus popped his head in.

"Oh and if you and your friends dare attack any of our fellow housemates or my friends ever again, just remember, I can defeat you all over again, in many more painful ways… Good night!"