Author's Notes: thank you all for the kind reviews on the last chapter. Surprisingly, this chapter came far easier than I expected. This chapter details Severus' first day back at Hogwarts, and it's not a pleasant day. It's also very emotional and is pushing the bounds on the rating. Once again, I hope you all appreciate the chapter. I would usually say to read, review, and enjoy... but it's a hard chapter to really, well, enjoy. Until the next chapter, then.
-Silens Cursor
Silencio!
At the silent thought and jab of Severus' wand, the alarm clock on his bedside table went silent, mutely ticking away the seconds. He rubbed his eyes heavily as he slid out of bed, landing quietly on the stone floors. Can't afford to wake the rest of Slytherin up at six in the morning… and I doubt they'd approve of this anyway…
Silently reaching into his trunk, he pulled out the running clothes and shoes that he had piled on top of his textbooks. He had hesitated about even bringing the Muggle clothes, but he knew that Diagon Alley didn't have anything similar. Hell, I doubt any shop in wizarding society sells decent running gear… it's not like I'm going to be running around in robes, I'd look like an overgrown bat…
Pulling on his ankle socks and quickly lacing up his Reeboks, he stealthily crossed the room, creeping towards the stairs…
"Severus?"
He froze: he knew that voice. "Go back to sleep, Lestrange. It's just me – I'm going out."
"At six in the morning?" Rabastan Lestrange asked heavily, rubbing his eyes. He was a pale and thin young man, with the look of someone who spent more time studying and reading than sleeping or going outside. His eyes were perpetually rimmed with shadow, and his brown hair was a tangled mess around his bland features. His eyes, though, were what made people shy away from Rabastan Lestrange: flat, like cold mirrors, they gave no warmth and revealed nothing of the man behind them, and yet always seemed to hold their gaze longer than was necessary.
"Yes… I have work to do. Just go back to sleep." Severus said, trying to keep his voice friendly. It wasn't like the younger Lestrange brother was difficult to deceive – he had been the butt of many jokes in the dormitory for his child-like naivety and social awkwardness. No doubt that's what caused him to become an introverted, Dark Arts-obsessed nutcase, Severus thought, unable to stop the twinge of guilt in his gut for his partial (and often grudging) involvement in Rosier and Mulciber's antics. But then again, he was a lot like me… except he never had the wisdom to stop and back away from the more… disturbing stuff that's in the Restricted Section. Now he's… strange. Creepy would be the best word, closely followed by unassuming and completely average.
"Are you sure you're allowed to be out this early in the morning?" Lestrange asked blearily.
"Absolutely," Severus replied quickly. "Now just go back to sleep – I can take care of myself." And without another word, he noiselessly slid open the door of the room and crept out. Well, that was easy…
He felt a twinge of guilt for deceiving the younger Lestrange, who Severus had always pitied to some extent. That pity was tempered, though, with a healthy sense of survivor's instinct – the weak never lasted long in Slytherin. Each of us has to find our niche, Severus thought to himself as he slid out into the corridors of Hogwarts through the hole in the wall, which slid closed behind him. I found mine, and Rabastan found his...
It only took a few minutes for him to reach the Entrance Hall. As he expected, the massive chamber was deserted. Perfect, he thought, as he slowly pushed open the massive oaken doors that led out to the grounds. No witnesses…
The morning was cool and misty, and Severus could smell the rich vegetation, so different than the smoky odor surrounding Spinner's End. He swallowed hard as he carefully stepped on the wet grass, and with a single deep breath, he began to run.
"That's your plan?" Remus asked incredulously, shaking out his wet hair as he wrapped his towel tightly around his waist with one hand and turning on the faucet with the other.
"What's wrong with it?" James asked indignantly. "I spent the entire summer working on it! And it's always good to have a plan with this sort of thing!"
Remus snorted. "Look, I'm all for having plans and being organized, but your 'plan' to win Lily Evans isn't even plausible, let alone logical. I mean, if she actually liked you to start with, that would give you something to work with, but are you forgetting the end of last year so quickly? Didn't you have a duel in the common room that cost us the House Cup? You think she just forgot about that over the summer?"
"She could have," Peter volunteered, after spitting into the sink and continuing to industriously brush his teeth.
"Wormtail's right, she could have," James said decisively, examining his jaw-line carefully. Remus sighed with exasperation.
"Prongs, we've been through this before. You don't need to shave yet. The Potter family barely gets facial hair anyways."
"I could be the first," James replied irritably.
"You could, and then Peter could be Minister for Magic and outfight Albus Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick in a duel," Remus replied sarcastically as he splashed hot water on his face. "Let's face the facts here, James: you may be popular, handsome, even somewhat intelligent, but none of that matters if you don't have class. And you know what that is, Prongs, so don't give me the puppy-dog look. Besides, I thought that move was Padfoot's signature."
"He hung out with me all summer, and our mannerisms may or may not have influenced each other," James said evasively. "But that's irrelevant! And besides, if we go by what you say and Lily's looking for a guy with class, who else is she going to pick from our year in Gryffindor?"
Peter snorted as he shoved away his toothbrush, while Remus put a hand to his forehead. "James," the young werewolf said quietly, trying to force himself to be patient, "you're missing the point. Lily needs space, not your advances. I'm sure if you give her time and act like a decent person, you'll impress her more than anything else."
"But that means…"
"Yes, it does," Remus replied, turning off the water and absently scratching the back of his neck. "It means maturity."
James looked horror-struck. "No."
"Yes. It happens to us all, sometimes a bit earlier or later than others."
"You know, that's what my mother told me about –"
"Too much information, Peter!" James and Remus said at the exact same time.
"What? She did say that," Peter replied indignantly.
"Yes, but we didn't need to know about it," James replied soothingly. "Why don't you… I dunno, go wake up Padfoot or something? The bugger's got to get up and get dressed sometime today."
Peter shrugged and hurried out of the bathroom. The second he was gone, James turned back to Remus, an anxious look on his face.
"Remus, come on, you've got to give me more than that –"
"I already told you, James, being mature will impress Lily more than anything else you might want to do. And being mature does not mean acting like a stuck-up prat, or like McGonagall." Remus sighed and ran his hand through his short brown hair – longer than usual, given that he hadn't cut it since before the summer. "But I know that she still needs some time to get her own priorities in order too. You can go ahead with your plan if you want, and I could be completely wrong, but in my opinion, if you want to have the slightest chance of dating Lily, you've got to grow up."
"So you don't think my plan is a bad thing?" James said hopefully.
Remus grinned. "Well, I'm not gonna deny that it is romantic – and somewhat asinine, especially considering most of your planned stunts are public. But you're the one who termed me the expert on feelings, after all…" Gathering up his toiletries, he shoved them into his bag and quickly left the bathroom.
A few seconds after he left, Sirius Black bolted in, his black hair in complete disarray.
"What time is it?" he asked frantically.
"I don't know, seven something," James replied, checking his watch.
"Seven something?" Sirius said, completely aghast. "I'll be late for classes! I'll be late for breakfast!"
"I understand the breakfast part, but you never cared about being on time for classes anyways."
"I won't be able to properly fix my hair!"
James rolled his eyes. "Sirius."
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"Because you're a bloody prima donna if we do, and we also needed mirror space… although you might just be a prima donna all the time now…"
"I have no time!"
"Sirius."
"And why did you send Wormtail to wake me up anyways? He –"
"Sirius, the plan's a go."
The young Black stopped talking as James' words sunk in. A slow grin was spreading across his face. "Are you sure?"
"Positive, and that means you have to hurry," James said urgently, his own smile growing as Sirius ran into the showers (nearly falling flat on his face as he skidded on the wet stone). "Operation Victory Lily is about to begin."
Severus panted heavily as he staggered up the front steps of the castle. Damn, think I pushed myself too hard on those hills around the Quidditch Pitch… should have taken more time to adjust to the conditions…
Clutching the stitch in his chest, he shoved his way through the doors and made his way back towards the Slytherin Common Room. Checking his battered watch, he sighed with relief. It's still early – most students won't be up yet, and if I'm careful, I should be able to stretch and get ready before my housemates notice I was gone…
As quietly as he could, he muttered the password to the stone wall that served as the entrance to the Slytherin common room, and slid carefully inside.
It was deserted, and Severus breathed another sigh of relief. He had time. Quickly moving to the center of the dimly lit room, he dropped to his knees and started doing his workout and stretches. I can't rush this, he thought to himself as he stretched his calf muscles, even as his heart was pounding in his chest.
Finally, as he was completing his last set of push-ups and was thinking that he might actually be able to finish his workout in peace, he heard a voice.
"I told you I was a light sleeper, Severus."
Severus, despite himself, slumped against the floor and brought a cool smile to his face. "Your loss then, Regulus. I'm not stopping my training just because you can't sleep through it."
A distinctly irritated-looking Regulus emerged from one of the many shadows of the room, his black silky pajamas gleaming in the dim light. "What on earth are you wearing, Snape?"
"Workout clothes," Severus replied defiantly, grimly proud of the clothes and shoes he bought with his hard earned money. "Wizards don't make them, so…"
"What time did you get up this morning?"
Severus rolled his eyes. "You don't want to know. Anyway, I'm going to shower and get ready for class, and I'd advise you do the same if you are averse to going to classes in silk pajamas."
"Oh shut up. They were a birthday gift from Narcissa's parents, and they're very comfortable!"
Severus rolled his eyes as he headed back to his dormitory to shower.
"So Rosier knows nothing about the two of us yet?" Narcissa asked intently as she, Severus, and Regulus sat down for breakfast. "Nothing at all?"
"I told you already, he's been preoccupied with his bet with your cousin," Severus replied irritably. "Which isn't exactly a bad thing, if it's keeping him away from you. He was ignoring pretty much everyone last night anyways." He lowered his voice as he shoved sausages onto his plate. "What about the girls in your dormitory? I assume you told them?"
Narcissa's jaw clenched. "Oh, I told them all right. Blew their pathetic little minds wide open. Would you believe that none of them even recognized you last night? They barely even asked where I was!"
"Well, pretty much nobody recognized me last night," Severus reasoned fairly. "I didn't expect the Slytherin girls to be much better."
"All the same, I wasn't impressed that they didn't even bother to look for me," Narcissa growled. "I had them eating out of the palm of my hand last year, and they didn't even look for me or talk to me until I approached them."
"So what did you do?" Regulus asked with a heavy yawn.
Narcissa grinned. "Reasserted my dominance, and told those prissy little bitches to back off if they knew what was good for them."
Severus could barely restrain his snort at the irony – for the term 'prissy little bitch' had once nearly fit Narcissa to a tee – but he was still relieved at the development. At least they won't be much of a problem, if Narcissa has them under her control.
"What about Avery?" Regulus asked in a low voice. "Can we trust him?"
"He's too close to Rosier," Severus said with a grimace, pouring himself a glass of juice. "And frankly, this is Malfoy's business as well as mine. I don't want his dealings with Cygnus Black jeopardized."
"Sensible reasoning," Narcissa mused as she pulled some fruit onto her plate. "I can talk to him when it might be necessary to inform others…"
But Severus was no longer listening – his eyes were scanning the staff table even as the owls were pouring into the Great Hall. "Narcissa, tell me if I'm wrong, but why is it that our Ancient Runes professor seems to have vanished?"
There was a flutter of wings and a thump as a copy of the Daily Prophet fell on top of Severus' sausages. He scowled as he tore open the paper to the front page. "Oh bloody hell, just what we needed at the start of the damned term…"
"What?" Narcissa asked, looking curiously at the paper, only to gasp at the massive bold title across the front page.
Regulus swallowed hard as he read the title out loud. " 'HOGSMEADE RAID LEAVES SEVERAL INJURED'," he read slowly. "Well… damn, this is awkward…"
"It wouldn't have been hard to execute, either," Severus said grimly. "With all of the attendants who meet us at Hogsmeade Station? There would have been a lot of traffic through the area, and it wouldn't have been difficult for a few of the Dark Lord's men to infiltrate the group –"
"Keep your voice down!" Narcissa hissed. "We don't want to look like we know too much – they might start asking questions of us!"
"We're already suspects because we're Slytherins," Regulus noted bitterly, taking a deep swallow of his tea and sputtering on the hot liquid.
"Shh, Dumbledore's getting up," Severus muttered as the old man rose to his feet, a saddened and grim expression on his face.
"I regret to inform you of some troubling news," Dumbledore said, his voice ringing across the hall, effortlessly silencing the other conversations. "Last night, there was an attack upon Hogsmeade. Although nobody was killed, several people, including our Ancient Runes specialist, Professor Tolkane, were critically injured. The Ministry is still trying to collect evidence relating to the raid, but one cannot deny that this attempt upon the safety of our village has done damage to the credibility of our security measures."
"Tonight, Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, and I myself will visit the homes of those wounded in this terrible attack after we attempt to augment the magical protections over this school and the village outside our walls."
"What about Professor Tolkane?" a seventh-year from the Ravenclaw table shouted anxiously.
"He is currently in the hospital wing, but he is expected to make a full recovery," Dumbledore replied. There was a collective gasp of relief (one echoed by Severus – he didn't want to lose a good Ancient Runes professor, and Clive Tolkane was excellent), and Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure, however, that he will appreciate your concern. Until he makes his complete recovery, however, all Ancient Runes lessons are cancelled."
"Damn it!" Severus swore furiously (albeit under his breath), as he turned back to his sausages. "I was actually looking forward to that class."
"Other than the Ravenclaws, I think you might have been the only one," Narcissa noted wryly. "It's not exactly fun."
"It's interesting, Narcissa, and besides," he added in a low voice, "I was going to ask him if he can identify any of the symbols on that brooch, see if they're tied to any runic forms of magic."
"Not a bad idea," Regulus mused, slicing up the last of his pancakes. "Although you might have more luck with that Professor Charon. Despite how creepy he is, he probably knows enough curses to at least give you a cursory identification."
"Regulus, he's staring at you," Narcissa said quietly.
"Who's staring?"
"The professor," she whispered. Severus turned back towards the staff table, and to his shock, the dark-haired Defense Against The Dark Arts professor was staring right them with an intensity that Severus found disconcerting. It's as if he heard Regulus say his name, but how could he, we were halfway across the hall and Regulus was speaking quietly…
"He scares me," Narcissa muttered.
"You and me both," Regulus agreed. A few minutes later, Regulus' schedule was passed down the table from an irritated Avery, and he had to leave for a first period Charms lesson. Severus and Narcissa, along with the rest of the sixth years, stayed behind, waiting for their Heads of House to speak with them.
Severus could see Rosier and Mulciber much better now, and his gut churned. The two seemed to be engaged in deep conversation, but it would only take a motion and they both would see him with Narcissa. And it's not like they've passed up on chances to speak with me before, if it's only for Rosier to ask for homework or flirt with Narcissa.
He suddenly felt Narcissa's hand slid into his. "You wouldn't have happened to invent that porcupine quill spell yet, would you?"
"No," Severus whispered back quietly. Although I might get on that – it's looking more and more attractive all the time, especially against certain people…
"So, so, so," a jovial voice erupted out of the uncomfortable silence. Severus turned towards the source, although he knew that he didn't need to – he would recognize the tones of Horace Slughorn anywhere. Severus sighed with exasperation – it wasn't that he despised the old buffoon, he just found him annoying and prone to frustrating favouritism. He had almost gotten over the fact that Slughorn had always tended to overlook his own excellent work to praise Lily. But then again, he suddenly remembered, if Regulus' parents are to be believed, my work was recognized – it's just that Slughorn never praised me openly.
"Professor Slughorn," Narcissa said with a winning smile. "Glad to see that you've had a good summer." Severus could barely hold back a smile – he knew Narcissa's routine of flattery. Even despite her unspectacular potions skills, she had taken a spot in the 'Slug Club' almost instantly.
Slughorn smiled widely, his graying mustache bouncing as he turned up from his paperwork. "My summer was quite good, Miss Black… and judging by your O.W.L. results, yours was quite good as well. You're clear for… hmm, let's see… Defense Against The Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and Arithmancy. I've noticed you didn't put your name down for Ancient Runes; how come?"
Narcissa winced. "I didn't think an 'A' would get me in – I know Professor Tolkane's standards…"
"Nonsense, good Narcissa, take Ancient Runes," Slughorn said briskly. "You're a smart girl, and I'm sure you can handle the course if you put in plenty of hard work. Still interested?"
Narcissa looked uncomfortable and chanced a glance at Severus, who only shrugged. It's your choice, Narcissa. You needed a lot of help when you took that course last year, and only you can say whether you can handle it. And we both know how accepting Tolkane is of people who don't do well in his class…
Narcissa finally swallowed hard. "I appreciate your faith in me, Professor," she said carefully, "but I don't think I'll be able to handle Ancient Runes this year, especially with Professor Tolkane teaching it – you know how he is."
Slughorn scowled. "He's a stodgy old bugger, I won't deny that," he said in a low voice. Leaning close, he gave Narcissa a small grin. "Drinks like a fish too."
Narcissa's eyes went wide. "I didn't know –"
"Why do you think he was in Hogsmeade the night before classes started?" Slughorn said with a sly smile. "He's a brilliant man – never seen a better Runes specialist in my life – but still…" The fat old man shrugged and turned quickly back to his paperwork, all business-like. "In any case, your schedule seems all in order, and I'll expect to see you in Potions tomorrow. Relatively light day for you, in any case – only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon… now who is this handsome young man next to you, he doesn't look familiar."
"Why, Professor, you forget your Slytherins so quickly?" Severus asked blandly, a bit surprised in spite of himself.
Slughorn frowned and peered closer at Severus. "You were in my House? Dear Merlin, my memory isn't going already, isn't it? I didn't think I was that old –"
Severus sighed. Best to get it out of the way now. "Professor, it's Severus Snape."
Slughorn jumped back, astonishment plain on his face. "Dear Severus, is that you? You look so different! What did you do to your hair? It looks… different."
Severus grinned. "A little potion that Narcissa dug up for me."
"Astounding! Marvelous! Well, I must say, I am impressed!" Slughorn's exuberance was practically making the old man bounce off the walls. "I must also say that your O.W.L. marks were excellent, some of the best in the year! Several 'Outstandings' with the rest 'Exceeds Expectations' –"
"There were only four 'O's, sir," Severus mumbled, embarrassed despite himself at the attention. You don't need to blow my accomplishments out of proportion while Rosier and the others are still here…
"Still, quite fantastic, I must say," Slughorn said with a smile. "Now what do you want to take this term? Arithmancy, Potions – superb job on your O.W.L., by the way, the examiner said he had never seen a Draught of Peace quite so well-prepared – Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Herbology –"
"No thank you," Severus said smoothly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I wasn't planning on taking Herbology this year. I was actually planning to take History of Magic."
Slughorn's bushy grey eyebrows nearly disappeared into his thinning hair – a remarkable feat, considering how little of it was left. "History of Magic? Are you quite sure? I mean, I find it admirable that you wish to continue the study of our history, but –"
"You had a disagreement over those Demiguise farms with Professor Binns back when he was still alive, and thus hold a grudge to him even as a ghost," Severus finished with a smirk.
Slughorn's went wide with confusion and he looked distinctly uncomfortable. "But I… ah… well, I didn't… how did you know?"
Severus smiled. "I have my sources." He didn't state that all of the Slytherins knew, for when Mulciber (under a dare) had asked the old ghost to provide his 'personal recollections' of the Hogwarts professors, he had been particularly verbose. I didn't even think the old windbag used words like that.
Slughorn cleared his throat several times, but the flush on his face was obvious. "Well, ah, you've… well, I guess I approve of your decision… after all, you did get an 'O' in that class… never mind my opinion of Professor Binns, for I'd never speak ill of my colleagues…"
"Of course, sir," Severus replied graciously, the hint of a grin still on his face.
"Very well, then, although I can't understand why you're dropping Herbology, as an aspiring Potions Master –"
Severus shrugged. "I prefer the more alchemical potions more often than not, and… well, I guess I feel I've learned all I really need as a Potions Master in that course already."
"Of course, of course," Slughorn replied, his jovial expression quickly returning as he handed Severus a freshly altered timetable. "I expect, then, to see you in Potions tomorrow. A pleasant day to you."
As the professor shuffled away, Narcissa turned to Severus with an expression of incredulity. "You actually want to be a Potions Master?"
"If it means teaching here, definitely not," Severus replied sourly, watching carefully as Rosier discussed his time with Slughorn. "He's up for retirement soon, though. And as far as I've heard, being a Potions Master does pay well."
"But you'd actually like working with potions for the rest of your life?" Narcissa asked, wrinkling her nose. "I mean, wouldn't you like working with people more?"
Severus snorted. "I'd prefer potions over people any day, Narcissa. Most are complete idiots in any case, and those who aren't are typically trying to take advantage of me. What about you? I've seen your list of courses – you've taken some of the hardest ones offered here."
Narcissa flushed as she turned back to her own timetable. "Well, I guess I always saw myself around the family manor…"
Severus smiled. "I get the picture."
"It's more than just a housewife, though!" Narcissa said quickly. "You have to be good with finances, able to entertain, smart enough to help your husband when it comes to esoteric magic, and plenty of other things. But," she lowered her voice, "Lucius knows that I don't want to get married straightaway. I want to see the world a bit first too. Bellatrix and… Andromeda, they both thought the same way too. You honestly think Bellatrix would settle down anywhere?"
"I see her serving the Dark Lord, that where I see her," Severus muttered as Rosier and Mulciber got up from the table and headed towards the doors. "Where do you think they're going?"
"They might actually have classes coming up," Narcissa said with a smirk. "They could be in Divination or Care for Magical Creatures."
Severus snorted. "And lose a few more limbs with Kettleburn? I don't think so. More likely Rosier's off trying to shag some clueless bint and get an edge on Black."
Narcissa shuddered. "That's sick."
"Tell me about it. And that reminds me, we should get going too. I want to head to the library."
"When do you not?" Narcissa replied with irritation. "What for, this time?"
"Tolkane's injury gives me some time to do some research before I pose my questions to him," Severus said, getting to his feet and carefully shouldering his book bag.
Narcissa understood instantly. "The brooch?"
"I'm going to crack its secrets this year," Severus said, steel in his eyes, "and then either Black or Potter will be in for a little… surprise."
"Severus?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know what time it is?"
"Should I?"
"You do realize we are missing lunch as you speak?"
"I missed lunch plenty of times when I was working, Narcissa, it's not that big of a deal. And you don't eat much anyways."
"Not the point," Narcissa said, sitting down opposite of Severus, where three massive piles of books sat along the desk he was working at. "Have any luck?"
"Nothing yet, but there are some good signs," Severus muttered, pulling a scrap of paper from his bag. Laying it out flat, he pointed at the twisted symbols scrawled across it. "These are the runes or symbols carved into that damned brooch, and I believe they have something to do with activating the magic. Right now I'm trying to cross-reference the runes with other dictionaries to see if there is anything similar."
"Sounds dull."
"Not really, just incredibly frustrating. Did you find what you were looking for?"
Narcissa smiled. "Well, I did see Nicholas Avery having a very good time with Marlene McKinnon over in the Transfiguration section –"
Severus set down the book he was perusing with a thud and gave her an exasperated glance. "Were you spying on them?"
Narcissa shrugged. "A little. It's good blackmail material."
"You're a little voyeur… never would have thought it of you, Miss Black."
"Oh, stop it. You would have watched too."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Of course I am. You probably would have kept studying even if it was happening right in front of your face. But that's not the point." She leaned close, her eyes meeting his. "You know that Rosier saw you at breakfast."
Severus rolled his eyes. "He noticed and did absolutely nothing."
"He saw you with me."
"And he knew we got along well before this year."
"That's exactly my point – he doesn't know that you're going out with me. Either that or he doesn't believe what he's heard." Narcissa walked around the desk and pulled a chair up next to Severus. "We might have to do something to convince him."
"Not in the library, I'm busy."
Narcissa gave him a frank look. "You knew this was likely going to come, Severus, and you agreed with Lucius that it might be necessary."
"If I remember correctly, I was the one that brought it up," Severus replied, not looking up from his book.
"So, I assume you have a plan, then?"
Severus did look up then, a strange perplexed expression crossing his face. "Plan?"
Narcissa huffed. "You make plans about everything, Severus, don't tell me you didn't make a plan for this!"
Severus looked a bit uncomfortable now. "Well, you see…"
"You don't have a plan, do you?"
"I didn't know what was required, so I didn't even start!" Severus hissed, his frustrated exasperation finally coming out. "Narcissa, this sort of thing is not my specialty, you know that!"
"Right," Narcissa replied with a smile. "And that means you have to defer to somebody who might have more knowledge on the subject."
"You?"
"Who else?"
Severus rolled his eyes. "So do you have a plan, then?"
"Of course I do."
"And?"
"First step is tonight, in the common room. You and I are going to feign studying in one of the corners until Rosier's attention is caught, and then… well, we'll go with it."
"Great plan."
"Oh shut up, it should work, at least to get Rosier off your tail."
"And you're sure you have control over the Slytherin girls?"
A look of confusion crossed Narcissa's face. "Why would that matter?"
"Because they're bound to see." Severus lowered her voice and leaned close. "And the last thing we need is for Lily to discover this before I'm ready –"
"With all due respect, Severus," Narcissa said in a low voice, "she probably already knows."
Severus and Narcissa only made it to Defense Against the Dark Arts five minutes before class, and already the classroom was quite full. Severus quickly spotted two seats near the side of the room and they quickly sat down. Much to Severus' displeasure, the Slytherins weren't the only ones in the classroom. The red and gold trim on the robes and James Potter's laughter made it very clear that Gryffindor and Slytherin were learning together.
"So first lesson is… what? Non-verbals?" Narcissa asked tensely, drawing her wand.
"Possibly, but I don't know anything about this professor. He might change things last minute," Severus muttered back, his own wand sliding into his hand. "We've had some strange Defense professors the past few years."
"And they've had some strange exits too," Narcissa remarked with a crafty smile. "First year was that Capport fellow –"
"They never found him, did they?"
"Well, given the number of hallucinogens he was taking, you can't really be surprised," Narcissa replied wryly. "He probably just wandered off somewhere, thinking he was heading to the 'Flower Kingdom' or whatever the hell he was calling it. Then there was Dearborn –"
"Despite coming on Dumbledore's recommendation, he was an atrocious teacher. I'm actually happy Slughorn and McGonagall got him thrown out."
"Agreed. Then there was Professor Jagenda… Merlin, do you remember him? He was strange."
"Good teacher, though. We actually learned something that year, even if it was never to throw a Tickling Charm at a Dementor."
"Is that even effective?" Narcissa asked incredulously.
"Have you ever tried?"
"Good point," Narcissa conceded. "A pity he nearly drowned in the lake searching for the giant squid and refused to come back to Hogwarts once they fished him out. Then there was that horrid Perks woman –"
"I don't think I ever heard as much cheering as when that bitch was thrown out," Severus said with a satisfied expression. "And most from the teachers too. But then again, trying to paint the entire school pastel colours and teach us all to 'make peace, not war' was entertaining, even if she made the mistake of trusting Peeves."
"It's a pity that she went crazy," Narcissa said lazily, twirling her wand around her finger. "She had a lot of money too, although flaunting it right under our noses was a bit much."
"Right, and after Perks there was Troy, who we had last year. Now there was a good Professor."
"He was easy on the eyes too," Narcissa replied with a smile. Severus gave her an odd look. "What?" she snapped. "He was cute, and a Quidditch player too! There's even talk that his younger cousins are prodigies that'll come to Hogwarts and snatch up positions in their first year!"
Severus snorted. "With someone like Baddock as a Quidditch captain? Not a chance. But Troy was a good professor."
"Yeah, it was a pity he got caught sleeping with that Ravenclaw seventh-year," Narcissa said smugly.
"That's the reason why he didn't come back?" Severus asked, completely shocked. "I never heard that!"
"They kept it really quiet, but Lucius heard about it and told me. Dumbledore was furious."
"I bet," Severus muttered. "Wonder what –"
BANG.
Several students jumped in their seats, but the entire room went silent as Professor Charon looked around the room from the doorway. Then, with exaggerated casualness, he walked up the center aisle between two rows of stunned students, circled around the desk, and leaned forward against in, resting against his palms, surveying the class.
"My name," he began, his voice mellow and calm, "is Professor Nathaniel Charon, but you all know that already, don't you? As for who I am and my qualifications, I'm a Hit Wizard. For those of you who don't know what that is… I feel sorry for you."
A few people chuckled, but as soon as Professor Charon's gaze passed over them, they fell silent.
"I also do some Auror work. Part-time," he added, raising a finger. "Leave the gritty stuff to Longbottom and the others that know what they're doing. I'm just called in when they want something dirty tackled and they want an extra hand. That's how I lost one hand and got it replaced with this thing." He tapped the pointed fingertips together, producing a high-pitched dinging sound. "Don't ask how I got this – let's just say it was painful."
Turning abruptly to the chalkboard behind him, he jabbed twice and jagged words began to scrawl across the board. "I am here," Charon continued, "because being a Hit Wizard does not pay as much as being a Hogwarts professor. No, I'm kidding, I'm really here because Professor Dumbledore asked me, and that's it. Apparently, he was looking for an Auror to teach the class this year and couldn't find one to his liking, so he got me instead. It really stinks to be him." Charon smirked. "Of course, I'm not going to exactly teach this course the way an Auror would. With Aurors comes structure and lesson plans and all that stuff that means nothing out in the real world. One thing Hit Wizards do and do well is handle ordinary crime. Since the good Headmaster enjoys touting Muggle society so much, I'll give you a little example: Aurors are the specialists, the detectives. Hit Wizards are the police that get called from Scotland Yard whenever the situation goes to hell."
"Isn't this a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, though?" Rosier drawled from his seat at the back of the class. "Why are you teaching it, if you aren't an Auror?"
"Just because I'm not an Auror doesn't mean I'm stupid, Mr. Rosier," Charon replied icily. "So as I was saying, what I will teach you in this course is how to be smart, flexible, and able to deal with the problems at hand, not esoteric Dark magic that you won't see and hasn't been seen since the sixteenth century."
Rosier sat back, looking mutinous and a bit embarrassed, while Severus continued to listen intently, perplexed despite himself.
"What we will do in this class," Charon continued, "is address the problems of today, in ways you all can understand, and that includes being familiar with basic defense strategies and the curses and creatures you might encounter. So today we are going to start with something difficult." With another wave of his wand, a trunk slid out of the corner of the room. Made entirely of metal and bolted tightly shut, it appeared rather ordinary.
"With respect, sir, why aren't we starting with non-verbal –" Remus Lupin asked tentatively, as Charon seemed to completely ignore the few hands that were hesitantly waving in the air.
"Don't get me wrong, non-verbal spells are excellent," Charon cut him off, "but this is a creature you might face in ordinary life, especially considering that Volde… oh, fine, You-Know-Who, has been creating them."
Severus eyed the trunk warily, even as most of the other Slytherins looked scandalized that the Hit Wizard had nearly said the Dark Lord's name. Can't be a Boggart, the chest would have rattled around more…
"With respect, sir, there's no proof that the Dark Lord could be responsible –"
"Oh really, Mr. Mulciber?" Charon hissed, moving quickly up the aisle to glare down at Mulciber. "Perhaps then you can be the first one to face this creature? No, don't shy away, be a man and get up here!"
Mulciber defiantly got to his feet and glared daggers at the Professor, which the older man completely ignored as he walked behind the chest.
"Wands out, everyone, and I need seven or eight volunteers," Charon said briskly. "No volunteers? Really? I'm disgusted! Fine, I'll pick people at random. Snape, Black, Black, Potter, Lupin, Evans, Avery and…. Moon, why don't you all get up here?"
Severus groaned with exasperation as he got to his feet with Narcissa and approached the center aisle behind Mulciber, who was clearly reconsidering his decision to mouth off.
"Right, well, Damian Mulciber, honoured representative of your house, what do you think is inside this trunk here?" Charon asked, a dangerous smile on his face.
"Your mother?" Mulciber snarled, his own nervousness and short temper getting in the way of his thinking.
Charon whistled. "Let's make that… twenty points from Slytherin and a detention, although that was good, even though you haven't even met my mother. No, let's get a more intelligent suggestion than the pinnacle of intellect that answered the first question. How about… Lupin? Any ideas from Gryffindor?"
Lupin swallowed hard. "Well, the only thing I can think of is a Boggart –"
"You're absolutely…" Charon paused as he smirked devilishly, "wrong! Actually, you're partially right and wrong, because it's not just a Boggart in there – it's a Greater Boggart. What's the difference, you might ask? Well, let's just say they aren't vulnerable to laughter anymore, and they have slightly different powers."
"What do you mean by that?" Sirius Black asked coolly, eyeing the wardrobe speculatively.
"Well, a regular Boggart might take the shape of what a person thinks is their worst fear," Charon said conversationally, sitting on the trunk. "Nasty little buggers, and difficult to get rid of on your own, but they can't actually do serious psychological or physical damage. A Greater Boggart, on the other hand, is different. This little beastie doesn't just take the form of the person's greatest fear – it distorts the immediate space around it to create an environment that represents your deepest psychological terror, using a form of twisted Legilimency to discover said fear. Not only can the environment become potentially lethal, but the creature is also obscenely focused. The person that it warps space for must be the one to drive it back. Now, considering none of you are very skilled in Legillimency or Occlumency –"
So you might think, Severus thought to himself, containing his smile.
" – I'm going to provide a degree of aid in this encounter by standing right next to the person as they face their 'greatest fear'. Remember that this fear is not always the one you might think – it's the one that haunts you unconsciously, the one you don't want to admit to yourself that you have." Charon crossed his arms over his broad chest. "And before you even ask, your assignment for next class is to research exactly what Legilimency is, and the main spell used in its practice."
"So how do you drive these things off?" James Potter asked, eyeing the trunk with distaste.
"Not so simple," Charon said with a twisted grin. "You see, laughter won't drive them off, and the Riddikulus charm doesn't work either. What will is Occlumency and confidence – sheer, unbridled belief in one's self. Not conceit, though – might be a fair short-term solution, but the Greater Boggart will find the holes in the armor. But someone with confidence… ah, fear can't get a firm hold on that person, and combined with the incantation ferocitas tenure, you can repel these monsters." Charon drew a wand from his sleeve and moved next to Mulciber, who was now looking as if he could be somewhere else. "So Mulciber? Do have the confidence to face one of these creatures?"
Mulciber gritted his teeth and stood up a little straighter, much to Severus' amused surprise. "Just one question: what happens if the incantation works?"
"It won't be forced into a funny shape, if that's what you're asking," Charon replied back with a quick wink. "No, it'll just recoil a bit, and then ignore you until your confidence seems to break… which, judging by what I've seen, won't take long. Ready?"
Before a pale Mulciber could reply, Charon pointed his wand at the trunk and shouted, "Alohomora!"
The lock clicked, and the lid slowly – ever so slowly – creaked open. Severus craned his neck to get a better look, but all he could see was a dark mist slowly spilling out of the trunk…
CRACK.
Before Severus' astonished eyes, the castle walls of the room seemed to unravel and tear, leaving a massive inky sky open above them all. Quite a few students screamed as the mist seemed to coalesce and take shape into something big – very big.
Professor Charon only shook his head in disgust as the massive giant towered above them all, twisted and horribly deformed with gargantuan growths along its arms and legs. In a hand was a sword of blackened steel dripping red blood, while in the other was a gigantic spiked chain caked with rotting flesh. The stench was unbelievable, and several students clapped their hands to their noses.
Severus chanced a glance at Mulciber, who seemed to be breathing very fast. Charon almost looked bored.
"Are you going to cast the incantation before it rips your head off?" the professor asked conversationally.
At Charon's words, Mulciber's rage took shape. Raising his wand in a shaking hand, he slashed wildly through the air.
"Ferocitas TENURE!"
The giant stepped back quickly, and Charon gave Mulciber a grimly triumphant smile. "Better than I expected. Moon, forward!"
The dark haired Gryffindor stepped forward, already rolling up her sleeves and brandishing her wand. Severus smirked as Mulciber quickly stepped out of the way.
BOOM.
Severus could only watch with astonished eyes as the castle walls reformed and beds sprouted up from the floor. The sterile odour immediately caused him to wrinkle his nose in surprise. Why would Athena Moon be afraid of the Hospital Wing?
Then he saw the single occupied bed in the room, surrounded by four Healers. One was holding a large, particularly jagged saw.
And a simulacrum of Athena was on the bed, tears in her eyes as she clutched a leg that looked utterly mutilated. Severus even recoiled in disgust at the sight.
"The damage is too extensive," Severus could hear Madam Pomphrey's voice say sorrowfully. "We're going to have to take the leg…"
Athena's eyes went wide as the saw descended downwards.
And then she began to scream. As if she was in excruciating pain. She fell to her knees, clutching her leg beneath her robes, and Severus could see, with growing horror, the blood emerging beneath her hands…
Professor Charon, swearing under his breath, grabbed the sobbing girl and hurled her out of the way, behind the desks. "Damn it! Lupin, get forward!"
Lupin shoved his way to the front, a mixture of horror and fury on his face…
CRACK.
Severus could only watch in astonishment as the roof of the room vanished again, this time revealing a tortured red sunrise. There was a green hill where the trunk used to be…
And a simulacrum of Remus Lupin was standing on the hill, crouched in filthy robes, blood streaming from his mouth. There were bodies strewn around the hill – Severus saw that some were even children…
Lupin's eyes blazed with fury this time, and Severus knew why instantly. He sees his worst fear… it's himself as a monster… the monster within him, free and uncontrolled…
"You," Lupin whispered, his voice completely calm and emotionless, "are not me. Ferocitas tenure!"
The simulacrum was blown off its feet with a flash of light, and both James Potter and Sirius Black cheered.
"Good work," Charon said tensely, quickly looking back towards Athena (still sobbing as she held her leg). "Avery, you next!"
Avery stepped forward, his eyes set with determination as he raised his wand –
BOOM.
All the lights vanished in an instant, and several people screamed. The screams were stifled in an instant as a new figure appeared in the stony, dungeon room, a green light spilling from his wand.
"Avery," Lord Voldemort said in a cool, disdainful voice, "you… you have failed me."
Avery's eyes were wide with horror as he sank to his knees. "No… no, my Lord –"
"He's not real, Avery, he's not real!" Charon roared, his face inches from Avery's. "Where's your confidence? Fight, damn it!"
"You betrayed me, Avery," the Dark Lord said, his voice icy as he pointed his wand at Avery, shaking and cowering on the floor, even despite the professor's shouts.
"No… please…."
"Avery, fight it!"
"There's only one fate for traitors," the Dark Lord hissed, raising his wand. "Avada –"
But Charon had intervened. Throwing Avery back with his metal hand, he yanked a surprised Sirius Black forward. He fumbled for a good grip on his wand –
CRACK.
There was barely any light now, only coming from guttering street lamps and a dirty, smoking fire at the end of the street. Sirius gasped in surprise as he saw a simulacrum of himself came into view, older and unshaven, his leather jacket torn and dirty, clutching his bleeding arm.
"You should have known, Sirius, it would come to this."
Severus froze. He knew that voice. Oh shit, this isn't good…
The faux-Sirius turned around and glared at the hooded figure coming out of the darkness.
"Regulus," the fake Sirius spat.
"Regulus," the real Sirius whispered.
"You should have known it would end this way. You never stopped running," the cold voice of the false-Regulus said from the shadows, raising his wand. His sleeve fell back and nearly everyone in the room gasped at the Dark Mark emblazoned there. Severus, despite himself, felt himself shaking. No, no, no… not Regulus…
The faux-Sirius collapsed to his knees at the foot of the real Sirius, and both versions looked at Regulus with tears in their eyes.
"Regulus… I'm so sorry…" the real Sirius said, swallowing hard, "but this isn't real. Ferocitas tenure."
The fake Regulus flew backwards, and Sirius wiped his eyes as James came forward, his expression grim. Severus could hardly blame him – after what they'd seen? How Charon thinks he can get away with this in a class, I don't know…
BOOM.
To everyone's surprise, there was no ominous location this time – just a massive manor hall with a huge crest emblazoned above the sweeping staircase. The Potter manor, Severus realized instantly.
Then a voice came from a figure at the top of the stairs, cold and causing James Potter to freeze.
"What are you doing in my house?"
James swallowed hard. "Dad, I –"
"I told you I didn't want you here in my house again!" Charlus Potter snarled, descending the stairs and glaring daggers at his son.
James was baffled. "What? I don't –"
"You're a failure. After what you've done… after everything you did to the family… how dare you show your face to me, especially after your mother gave her life to save you!"
Tears were in James' eyes now. "Dad, I swear, I'd never –"
"You're a disgrace. Get out of my house."
"Potter, it's not real, James, you know it's not real!" Charon roared, grabbing James by the arm. "You'd never do this –"
"You don't deserve the Potter name," the fake Charlus Potter spat. "Get out."
"He's your son!" Charon bellowed, raising his own wand.
James was shaking, but he couldn't even raise his wand now.
"No," Charlus Potter said with disgust. "I have no son."
James broke down at that second, collapsing to his knees. Severus was shaking with rage now – the fact that students, even Gryffindors, were facing this in the classroom –
The professor shoved James back. "The other Black, come forward," he said in a grim voice. Narcissa took a hesitant step as she hurriedly wiped her eyes –
BOOM.
The room was spacious and ornately appointed, and Severus frowned in confusion. It's a bedroom, and it looks like it's at Malfoy Manor, but –
The doors blew open, and Severus saw the false Narcissa for the first time, sitting in a white nightgown on the bed. The real Narcissa gasped as she saw Lucius Malfoy, garbed all in black, a terrible expression on his face.
The false Narcissa got up, a pleading expression on her face. "Lucius –"
SMACK.
The entire class gasped in horror as both Narcissa's reeled, clutching their faces. Severus shoved his way to the front and put his hands around Narcissa as she tried to stop the blood coming from her nose.
"You…" Lucius began in an icy voice, "disgust me. Filthy blood traitor!"
Both Narcissa's were crying now, and Severus could only hold the real one in his arms, trying to console her. Charon gave him a stern look, but he completely ignored the man.
"Your type of filth gets punished. Rosier!"
The real Rosier looked around wildly from his seat at the back, but that was not who the fake Lucius was calling. A second later, a dark garbed Evan Rosier entered the room, a satisfied grin on his face.
"Yes, Malfoy?"
"She's all yours."
Both Narcissas screamed as Lucius walked out of the room and Rosier stepped closer to Narcissa, his eyes blazing with lust –
Severus roared with fury. This wasn't going to happen, he wasn't going to watch Narcissa experience her worst nightmare. Stepping around her, he whipped his wand out and shouted, "Ferocitas tenure!"
BOOM.
Narcissa's horrific vision evaporated, while Charon looked livid. "She was supposed to fight it herself!"
"Shut up," Severus snarled, even as his own vision erupted into shape. He didn't know what he would even see. Probably having something to do with the Dark Lord, or my father…
But instead he saw the same disused Hogwarts classroom, with a massive mirror set in gold in the corner. Severus' eyes narrowed when he saw an older man standing limply, leaning against the mirror, blood trickling from split knuckles…
"So you are… what?" Severus snarled, already forgetting that he was inside the Greater Boggart's vision. "I'm not afraid!"
The figure turned, and Severus saw a man likely twenty years older than himself. Oily hair hung lank over his face, and he gave Severus a disgusted smile between crooked teeth. He wore heavy black robes, although Severus could see that one arm was bare – and the Dark Mark was seething across it.
Dark eyes met dark eyes.
Severus was looking at himself.
"You fear me," the older man said in a low hiss, "because this is who you are, who you'll become. She married the one you hated and she died because of you, so you were forced to swear your fealty to one who could manipulate you to his ends. Never any peace, never any completion, and in the end you killed the man who trusted you the most… and you already know who that is."
Severus' eyes widened as he saw the ghostly reflection in the mirror shift wildly between the scenes of death in his nightmare on the doomed bus. It began to center on the image of an old man, lying in the grass…
"It'll never happen!" Severus snarled. "This will never – happen!"
The Mirror blurred, and he saw himself again, bleeding from a growing gash on his throat. The older version of himself only sighed with resigned disgust. "Of course, you end up dead… you cannot accept that you can't rewrite the song…"
You can't rewrite the song…
Severus clapped his free hand to his throat, where he already felt blood beginning to seep. He swallowed hard and looked directly at his reflection, repeating the words he had already said.
"Yes… I… can… ferocitas tenure!"
The mirror exploded, and the older version of himself crumpled to his knees, bleeding from the throat, silver leaking from every orifice on his face…
"Evans, forward!" Charon shouted, and Severus grimly took a step back as Lily stepped up, tears streaking down her face –
CRACK.
The night was dark, with few lights along a regular street – regular except for the Dark Mark glittering in the sky above a house engaged in flames. There was laughing – laughing – and gleeful shouting as a group of people capered in front of the burning house, clearly celebrating.
Severus' breath caught in his throat as he recognized the flaming house: Lily's house. The Death Eaters came…
There was a snide cackle as one of the tallest Death Eaters cheered. "A fine hit, don't you think, boys?"
There was a cheer as the Death Eaters raised their wands and fired shots of light into the air.
"And the best part is," the tall Death Eater said, with a twisted smile, is that we have three survivors. Bring 'em up!"
A second later, Severus' eyes widened as the three figures were dragged into view. Horribly beaten and bleeding badly, they were still recognizable. Severus felt his breath hitch in his chest when he saw James Potter lying there, cursing and snarling all the while, struggling against the bonds. Next to him was the writhing and sobbing figure of Petunia Evans.
The last was the furiously thrashing and swearing figure of Severus Snape.
Lily swallowed hard, but she remained on her feet. Raising her wand, she opened her mouth to speak the incantation when a new voice cut across the vision.
"So, which piece of filth should I incinerate first?"
This time, everyone in the room gasped in horror as they saw a new, shorter figure come into view, hidden behind the taller Death Eaters. Her auburn hair was tangled and matted, hanging over her sunken and sneering eyes. She was wearing scanty robes, barely obscuring white skin marred by long white scars. A heavy iron collar was wrapped around her thin neck, with a long leather leash dangling from it, held by another smirking Death Eater.
Lily looked, with pure astonishment and horror, upon a nightmare version of herself.
"Anyone you want, Mudblood," the Death Eater replied with a horrible smile. "They made you weak, and that's why you came to us… so we could make you strong… and besides, you deserve a little treat like the bitch you are…"
There was raucous laughter from the Death Eaters, and Severus could see the real Lily shake with fear and fury. Severus wished that he could help her, but he could only hold Narcissa in his arms, as she was shaking and sobbing against his robes.
The false Lily stepped forward, dispassionate eyes raking her sister, James, and Severus. A jagged wand was in her hand, and with a single motion, she pointed it at the three of them.
"Everything burns."
A second later, Severus felt searing pain erupt over his head. There was a strangled scream from James as he felt the same. He could even smell the stench of cooking flesh –"
"FEROCITAS TENURE!"
There was a succession of loud bangs, and the pain vanished. Severus kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see anything more… not now…
"It's over, Narcissa," he whispered. "I think it's over."
"Are you sure?" she asked, not even trying to hold back her tears.
Severus nodded as he slowly opened his eyes, and surely enough, the trunk was sealed and locked shut, and Professor Charon was sliding away his wand.
"Miss Evans, you can back away now –"
SMACK.
The entire class gasped, and Severus could only gape in wide-eyed astonishment as Charon put his hand carefully to his face, where Lily's livid handprint now resided.
"You think I deserved that," Charon said finally, looking up at Lily's tear-streaked, yet furious face.
"We're sixteen, Professor!" Lily said in a deadly quiet voice. "What makes you think you had the right to do this? When Dumbledore hears –"
"He already knows," Charon cut her off.
"When the governors hear about this –" Sirius began heatedly.
"Welcome to reality, Black!" Charon snapped. "You think I like teaching you this? Sorry, but I warned all of you! The world is brutal and cruel, especially now, and you had to know! Class dismissed," he finished.
The class, all silent except for the girls who were crying, began to gather their things.
"One more thing," Professor Charon said in a quiet voice. "Fifty points to everyone who faced that monster, whether you succeeded or not. And a bonus twenty to Lily Evans for giving me what I deserved, because she's right – this was wrong, but it had to be done. I'm sorry, and if anyone wishes to speak with me on this matter… I'm available. And one final thing." He stared at everyone across the class with a dangerous expression. "If you utilize what you saw today to insult or hurt or spread rumors or do anything to anyone else, I will personally make sure you are expelled from this school. Good day."
Slowly guiding Narcissa (who was still crying), they made their way towards the door. Severus was still shaking, his mind still remembering the pain…
He looked back quickly, to see Professor Charon standing alone by a window, a tortured expression on his face as he stared at his metal palm, and a single tear streaking his pallid face.
