bold - Parseltongue
James Potter was bored out of his mind.
He was a boy who loved fun, enjoying making himself laugh even at other people's expense. He had shared the trait with Sirius Black, who was as much as his brother in all but blood. They both ultimately wanted to be free before joining the Aurors, being protectors to others from the evil Death Eaters and the new Dark Lord.
And what better way for them to practice their skills than fighting Slytherin students.
The Snakes were the bane of the Lions' existence and per the headmaster's words, they were truly convinced that any child in green and silver were dangerous, and were willing to send a hex or two to them, especially with the help of their Marauders' Map.
Most of all, they loved to torment their favorite target, Severus Snape.
They were both impressed and afraid that Snape never seemed to back down whenever they met. Though the Slytherin boy often lost, they still delighted in seeing the fear and defiance in his onyx eyes.
Too bad they couldn't do anything to him now, or anyone else for that matter.
After hearing Professor Dumbledore's explanation about what happened to them during Christmas Eve, James and his friends didn't believe his words and tried to send a Stinging Hex to a blond Slytherin first-year, only for their plan to be thwarted when Sirius' hand was inflicted with the spell instead. They decided to not push their luck, not daring to see the black phantom bird make its return.
But they had a secret weapon. Someone who loved chaos as much as they were.
Peeves.
So James and Sirius hatched a plan with the poltergeist, hoping that by the end of it, Snape would show everyone his true colors, that he was a budding evil Dark wizard who had played them all under his thumb.
Forked tongues were never meant to be trusted after all.
It was breakfast time, and Regulus Black only watched as the Slytherin students were having their meals. Not that he wouldn't join his other year-mates, but the guys in years above him were far more interesting, especially when it came to getting tips of answering the O.W.Ls soon. His friends in sixth year were the most exceptional bunch, and they currently were chatting up while waiting for their ever elusive member.
Regulus still thought Severus Snape was worthy to be watched, especially after listening to his cousin Narcissa Black who in turn had heard from her to-be fiancé, Lucius Malfoy that the half-blood teenager was more than meets the eye. So after the strange occurrence in December and January, he thought that maybe Snape really had a sensitive body temperature.
He had just finished his pancake when he saw a familiar figure strode into the Great Hall, his onyx eyes were deeply buried in a book.
"Oi, Snape!" Mulciber shouted to get the boy's attention. The aforementioned teen looked up and smiled upon seeing them, keeping the book in his hand as he walked toward the Slytherin table.
Only to be drenched by gallons of oil a few feet away from his destination.
Everyone nearby the scene gasped and quickly looked upward, seeing the mischievous poltergeist of Hogwarts was wiggling his tongue out at the unfortunate victim of his prank for the day.
"Well, little Snapey!" Peeves began in a sing-song voice, "Heard your hair had lost its shine so hopefully I have helped you with it!"
With a shudder of horror, Regulus turned to Snape, who remained still at his spot, hiding his face from view with his hair and clothes dripped oil onto the floor every now and then. His wand was shaking heavily in his hand, and the Black heir knew it was only time before the stand-in Prefect would explode in anger.
Regulus looked around to see if anyone could have provoked Peeves to do such horrible thing, and his rage rose upon seeing James Potter and Sirius Black were stifling their laughter. The other two Marauders, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew had their eyes bulge in utter disbelief while Snape's old friend, Lily Evans had covered her mouth in shock.
"Someone get the Bloody Baron," Regulus heard Evan Rosier order some students and he really hoped the Slytherin ghost would come over as quick as possible, because while Severus Snape had the patience of a saint, even he was not immune to shameful cutting remarks. And Peeves was having a field day because of it.
"You really could use a makeover, though I doubt it will work well on you!" the poltergeist laughed as he tumbled along in the air, "Wonder what have people see in you that-"
Peeves suddenly went silent.
And it was not only him; Regulus turned to everyone else and they froze in their seat, eyes wide in terror as they all felt the dangerous waves of magic flowed around the Great Hall. The Black heir then looked at Snape, who had stared upward with his wand arm stretched out to Peeves' direction and harshly swung it down to the floor.
The specter immediately followed with a loud bang and when the rest of the students came back to their senses, they saw Snape was looming over Peeves, who was widespread on the floor with ghostly shackles on his wrists and ankles.
How could magic affect ghosts too?
"Feels good, isn't it?" the honorary Prefect spoke softly and nobody dared to answer. "To make and see everyone having fun, but at another person's expense. Now I know you don't exactly have feelings, Peeves; you're just an amalgamation of the children's desire to release their stress and enjoy themselves in this school. But won't it hurt to at least consider who had been at the receiving end of your countless 'pranks'?"
The deafening silence remained echoing across the Great Hall.
Snape simply continued as he slowly circled the poltergeist in small careful steps, "Were they actually happy to be part of your laughter? Or were you so self-absorbed in your little joy that you won't care of what they feel?"
Regulus exchanged fleeting glances with the stand-in Prefect's friends but they were transfixed that someone else, other than the Bloody Baron, had managed to put the annoying specter in his place.
"I personally don't care that you had poured greasy oil on me, because it at least had served as a reminder to me," Snape went on as if he didn't have an audience around him, "That I need to work harder to gain anyone's approval in this school. But I drew a line when you insulted my appearance. How would you like if I were to change you back into human, and making fun of your bulbous belly? Or your humongous nose?" His onyx eyes stared venomously at the helpless poltergeist, who much to everyone's surprise, was beginning to blubber over his words.
"P- Please, Snape…" Peeves begged, eyes widened in utmost horror when the boy pointed his wand at him, "I… I swear I didn't mean to! I didn't even want to do that, believe-!"
"Save your words," Snape interrupted sharply. Regulus noticed that his chest was still heaving with breath, though not as noticeable as it had been a few minutes ago.
"If I ever hear or see such degrading behavior toward other students… be glad that I haven't killed you today." With a dangerous hiss, Severus Snape turned back to the corridor leading to the Slytherin dungeons, his shoes making squeaky sounds and leaving trails of oil along the way.
No one dared to move from their seat after his departure. Only after the bell rang did they all begin to move to their respective classes, with Regulus noticing how Lupin and Pettigrew confronted Potter and Sirius Black about what they did just then.
How he wished he hadn't had Sirius as a brother, and was utmost glad that Walburga had disowned and forbid him from accessing any other Black family members' vaults. When he reluctantly joined Barty Crouch and his other year-mates, he hoped Snape had prepared the best revenge for the two Gryffindors.
It was at this time Regulus was happy with his decision to give Snape the Black family's copy of The Secret of the Darkest Arts, knowing well it would be used within its full potential in the boy's hands.
March came by, and spring began to sweep across Scotland where flowers and trees alike began to bloom.
It was a nice comfortable day, Albus thought as he strolled by the Black Lake, smiling upon seeing his godson and friends were relaxing nearby the lonesome beech tree.
A shade of red hidden behind a clump of bushes caught his attention and he greeted curiously, "Miss Evans?"
Lily Evans looked up from her book and gave him a weak smile. "Hello, Professor."
"Where are your friends?"
"Oh, I decided to be here; they can be quite chatterboxes," Lily laughed and Albus smiled softly, knowing well she was trying to hide her heartache toward Severus Snape.
Just how could a boy affect so many other lives? Even he had held his old wand once again due to the honorary Prefect's actions, and he was both thankful and resentful of the Slytherin teenager for it.
The headmaster and the prefect then stayed contently in their spot, until they heard someone pointed out, "What was that?"
Albus turned to the sky and narrowed his eyes upon seeing a huge silhouette was heading toward them at an alarmingly fast rate. Readying his wand, he only managed to give out an order at the other students to run before a shockwave stunned them all and the great wizard looked up in both awe and horror.
The mythical phantom bird was right in front of him, bright orange eyes were scrutinizing him for a moment. Much to Albus' astonishment and terror, he could feel its presence in his mind, softly shuffling through his memories. He was especially frightful when it saw glimpses of his greatest regret.
However, on the contrary to what Minerva had told him, the beast did nothing to him. Instead, it turned its head toward James Potter and his friends, who drew out their wands in self-defense and Albus felt his heart plummet to his stomach.
He could only watch as James and Sirius were crying out for help, more spell inflictions appear on their bodies and for a brief moment, he wondered why Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were spared from such fate. But he couldn't dawdle in his thoughts; they were still his students and he had a duty to protect them all.
Though, just how would one defeat a monster that was immune to even the Killing Curse itself?
The King of Snakes was immensely happy.
The new master had finally managed to come down to its lair due to a distraction happening outside of the castle, and as it circled around him, it smiled; despite his rather plain appearance, it could practically smell the terrifyingly beautiful magical aura ooze out of him. He had after all, given in to the power of the great master's blood in his veins.
Oh, how it couldn't wait to know of the new master's plans.
"Welcome, Master," it greeted and bowed down its head. The great master's blood might be diluted in the new master's presence, but it had no doubt that he would be destined for greatness just like the previous master did.
"I'd like to see you," the new master spoke and it obeyed, closing its eyes. It cherished the soft touches as he gently caressed its body and praised how beautiful it was, patting its head all the while.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Nearly a thousand years, Master."
"Really? How loyal you are," the new master said in amazement and it preened under the praise. The kind of loyalty the great master had bestowed on it was much more powerful than the badger woman had strived for, and it was very proud of the great master's stance.
"My family values loyalty too," the new master added wistfully and it smiled. Yes, they definitely would be a formidable couple.
His next question had caught it off guard, however. "What's your name?"
If snakes could frown, it would have done so. "I don't have one, Master," it answered. Names, it thought, were insignificant. Why would people want to have a name? Hadn't its presence been enough to command respect? That it was among the remaining legacy of the great Salazar Slytherin himself?
The new master hummed thoughtfully. "May I do so, then?"
"As you wish, Master," it bowed once again.
"I will name you Salazar, to honor our great ancestor. And you may call me Severus Prince."
Salazar Slytherin.
Lord Voldemort.
Severus Prince.
The King of Serpents smiled.