"Tomas!"

Tomas's eyes snapped open to see Blaise's worried face looking down at him. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You were trashing in your sleep," Blaise said. "It seemed like you were having a nightmare. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tomas said, "just a bad dream." The dream certainly had been strange and he resigned to go talk to Dumbledore about it later.

Blaise gave him a curious look but didn't question him. "OK," He said. "You should get up now though. We have to meet the others for breakfast."

"Right," Tomas said getting out bed. He got dressed quickly and followed Blaise out of the common room and to the Great Hall.

When they got there and sunk into their seats Draco grinned at Tomas. "You're finally up," He said. Tomas stuck out his tongue at him as he put eggs and bacon on his plate.

"I had a bad dream," He said. "And besides," He said looking over at Draco, "you're the one who once spelt into one in the morning!"

"Wow Draco," Blaise said. "How'd you accomplish that?"

"I stayed up very late," Draco said.

"Yeah till like six in the morning," Tomas snorted. "Very smooth there Draco." Draco swatted Tomas in the arm as the boy grinned and the others laughed.

After they had eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting, McGonagall's descent from the staff table to distribute class schedules.

When she got to Tomas she quickly consulted her notes. "It appears you have excellent grades in your lessons at Beauxabatons," She said. "Let's see here…Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Potions are all fine." Tomas nodded and accepted his schedule from her looking it over.

"Looks like I have Ancient Runes first," He said.

"Excellent," Draco said. "Blaise and I have it first too. We'd better head off now before we're late." Tomas agreed and the three of them said goodbye to Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle before heading off to class.

They arrived a little while before the start of class and slid into their seats.

Suddenly a voice said, "Aren't you the boy from Madam Malkin's?" Tomas looked to his right and saw Hermione sitting at the next table over.

"Yes I am," He said. "Your Hermione Granger right?" When the girl nodded he gave her a small smile. "Nice to meet you," He said. "I'm Tomas Snape." When she heard his last name she looked at him surprised.

"Are you related to Professor Snape then?" She asked.

"He's my adoptive father," Tomas said. Hermione looked like she wanted to continue talking to him but the bell rang then and they had to turn around and pay attention to their teacher Professor Victor.

"You shouldn't talk to people like her," Draco whispered to Tomas as the lesson began.

"Why not?" Tomas asked.

"Because not only is she one of Potter's lackeys," Draco said, "she's a mudblood." Tomas winced at the term.

"Draco you know I hate that word," He said.

"I know," Draco said, "but it's what she is."

An hour later they left the classroom with an armful of heavy books to read by Wednesday and a fifteen-inch essay and two translations to do for homework.

"Figures they load us with homework now," Blaise groaned.

"At least we have Defense Against the Dark Arts next," Tomas said.

"Yeah," Draco grinned. "That should be great."

When they reached the classroom they found Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing outside the door. Hermione gave Tomas a small smile but Ron glared at him no doubt remembering the punch in the stomach Tomas had given him.

"You know you should stop making that face Ron," Tomas said, "or your face will freeze that way."

"Keep doing it then Weasley," Draco said, "it will be an improvement if you do."

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron said.

"I don't think so Weasley," Draco said. "You should be the one shutting up before you make yourself look like an idiot."

"He always looks like one anyway," Blaise sneered.

"I do not!" Ron said stepping forward.

"Careful Ron," Tomas said. "I don't want to have to hit you again." Ron glared at him.

"That was a cheap shot and you know it," He said. "I just wasn't ready."

"Right," Tomas said sarcastically. "But your ready now?"

"You got that right!" Ron said advancing on Tomas but a voice made him freeze.

"Stay away from him Weasley or I'll make sure you have detention for a month."

Snape had stepped into the corridor his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Ron. Silence fell over everyone immediately.

"Inside," Snape said nodding his head at the door. As the others rushed inside Tomas smiled at Snape.

"Thank you," He said.

"You're welcome," Snape said. "Please try to avoid too many fights alright?"

"Yes sir," Tomas nodded and entered the classroom finding it gloomy. The curtains had been drawn over the windows and the room was lit by candlelight. Pictures adorned the walls, many of them showing people who appeared to be in pain, sporting gruesome injuries, or strangely contorted body parts.

Tomas smiled to himself as he sat down. Looks like Father's already added his personal touch, He thought.

"I've not asked you to take out your books," Snape said, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk. "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."

"You've had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe," He continued. "Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods of and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be more advanced."

Snape walked around the edge of the room speaking now in a lower voice. "The Dark Arts," He said, "are many, varied, every-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a man-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Tomas noticed the loving caress in Snape's voice but was use to it. The man's voice always sounded that way when he talked about his favorite subject.

"Your defenses," Snape said, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo." "These pictures," He said indicating to a few of them as he passed by them, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse, feel the Dementor's Kiss, or provoke the aggression of Inferius."

"Has an Inferius been seen, then," A girl asked in a high-pitched voice. "Is it definite, is he using them?" I wouldn't put it past him, Tomas thought.

"The Dark Lord has use Inferi in the past," Snape said, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again."

"Now…" He said setting off towards his desk again, "you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

Tomas put his hand up and Hermione's shot up with his. "Mr. Snape?" He said.

"If you use a nonverbal spell," Tomas said, "then your opponent has no idea what kind of magic you're going to perform, which gives you a slight advantage."

"Correct," Snape said with a small smile. "Yes, those, who progress to use magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack." Tomas noticed that he looked pointedly at Harry well saying this.

"We will now divide," Snape went on, "into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

Tomas paired up with Draco who said, "Severus taught you this already didn't he?"

"Yep," Tomas nodded. One of the advantages of being raised by Severus Snape was that you were raised to now about every magical ability one could possibly know.

"Lucky part," Draco groaned.

"Oh come on its not that hard," Tomas said. "I'll let you try and jinx me first." Draco nodded and raised his wand.

It took twenty minutes but finally Draco got the hang of the nonverbal spells and successfully cast a jinx without speaking. Tomas quickly repelled it nonverbally and the two grinned at each other.

"Very good you two," Snape said. "Twenty points to Slytherin."

"Why thank you Professor," Draco said while Hermione who had managed to repel her jinx ten minutes into the class glared at him.

Snape nodded and moved on coming to linger by Harry and Ron as the struggled with the task.

Ron was supposed to be jinxing Harry but appeared to be having an extremely difficult time with it.

Snape stood there for awhile waiting with the rest of the class for something to happen but when nothing did he just shook his head. "Pathetic, Weasley," He said. "Here—let me show you—"

He turned his wand on Harry so fast that he seemed to be only a black blur and Harry responded instantly by yelling, "Protego!"

Harry's Shield Charm was so strong it knocked Snape off-balance and hit a desk. The whole class stopped what they were doing and watched as Snape righted himself with a scowl.

"Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?" He asked.

"Yes," Harry answered stiffly.

"Yes, sir," Snape said.

"There's no need to call me 'sir', Professor," Harry said. Tomas's eyes widened in surprise well several people gasped including Hermione and Ron, Dean, and Seamus grinned approvingly from behind Snape.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," Snape said. "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter…not even 'the Chosen One.'" He then looked around at the rest of the class with narrowed eyes. "Well?" He said. "Back to work!" Everyone quickly scrambled back to work including Tomas and Draco.

"It's official," Tomas said. "That guy's crazy."

"Your just realizing this now?" Draco said rolling his eyes. "I mean jeez to say something like that to Severus…"

"Is like signing your own death warrant," Tomas nodded grimly.