The Slytherin Life

Tempus had never been so nervous in her entire life. Only Slytherin would make her father happy, but sometimes she wondered if she could put up with the Slytherins. She had met two at Diagon Alley and she had wanted to murder both, right on the spot.

To make matters worse, she stood a good head and shoulders above all of the scrawny first years.

"Great Scott, you're tall," marveled one, very tiny little boy with big brown eyes and untidy brown hair. Tempus raised an eyebrow in annoyance at the little boy who was looking directly at her chest and making to attempt to look into her eyes.

"Little bugger," she growled, pushing past him.

"There is no way you are eleven," a girl with glasses and stringy hair noted. Tempus looked down at her with mild annoyance.

"Well, it's because I'm not. I'm nearly sixteen." The little girl nodded, without questioning her. She was too busy staring in wonder at the walls and corridors and the paintings.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Professor McGonagall approached the group of nervous children and Tempus. She gave Tempus a peculiar look, but soon caught on and shook her head.

"Welcome," she began in her tight voice. She continued to give them the typical first year speech, which, surprisingly, didn't bore Tempus. She was finally hearing what every other witch her age had already heard. She watched McGonagall intently, watching every movement, memorizing every line. She wanted to remember this.

Now entering the Great Hall was a different story. It was completely and utterly humiliating. She was so obviously taller than everyone that she stuck out like a sore thumb, not to mention that she was almost heartbreakingly beautiful. The stood amongst very fidgety eleven year olds. She watched as the Houses clapped and cheered each time a new student was inducted. Tempus couldn't help but wonder which house would cheer for her. If they'll even cheer at all... she thought bitterly, for a split second regretting her decision to come here.

For the most part the Great Hall had been silent, but naturally, there was whispering and idol chit chat among the students both new and old, especially when the list got down to the S's.

"Tempus Snape."

As soon as McGonagall uttered the last syllables, the Great Hall went dead silent. All the students stared at her as if she were some sort of alien life form. She glanced at the House tables and wasn't reassured by what she saw. The Gryffindors looked at her with pure disgust, not the most welcoming expression. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff looked mildly disturbed and unsure. The Slytherins were the worst for her. They were eyeing her hungrily. She was fresh meat, fair game and most of all, a stunning opportunity to suck up to their favorite Head of House.

Tempus swallowed nervously and sat down on the rickety three legged stool. She held her breath, just like all the little eleven year olds had as McGonagall set the hat on her head.

Ohh, Miss Snape! You're a bit late, aren't you? Ah well, better late than never, right? You're mind is brilliant...my Lord, child, you are dark...it's a very difficult decision to make, young lady, but I think I'm going to have to go with...

"SLYTHERIN!"

Tempus didn't know whether to be bitterly upset, or elated. She decided it'd be best to smile, or she at least tried to. Just being a Snape makes smiling a very unnatural thing. She looked over at her father, hoping to get positive vibes, but what she saw instead worried her. He looked mildly panicked. It worried her for two reasons. One, that wasn't a good sign, two, he almost never conveyed emotion that he didn't want to be.

Instead of bouncing to her new House table like all the others, she held her head up high and walked gracefully to her table. Ignoring each and every snicker, groan or eye roll that was thrown at her from all the other tables.

She went to take the closest seat, but was rudely stopped by Draco.

"What the ruddy hell are you doing? You don't belong with them...they're so...so..."

"Immature? Draco?" purred Adrienne, sitting ridiculously close to him. He turned to her and gave her what he thought was a sexy smirk, "Precisely, Adrienne." It made Tempus want to vomit. Just my luck...they're dating... she thought miserably.

Tempus knew that her future happiness depended on these two, so she bit her tongue and sat on the other side of Draco.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Snape has a daughter?" Crabbe asked. Tempus looked up at him and tried not to grimace. He was the size of a small semi and appeared very stupid. She merely nodded and prayed for strength.

Somehow, Tempus made it through dinner without offending anyone, or making any enemies. On the contrary, several thought her indifferent manner meant she was stuck up and therefore, sort of cool. In fact, her indifferent attitude, was to keep her emotions in tact. She still didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Tempus let herself into her father's classroom and didn't bother knocking on his office door. She really wanted to talk to him. He was surprised to see her, or probably more likely, he was shocked that she didn't knock.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Like you don't know...I saw you after I was sorted. I expected you to be elated, but you looked far from it."

Her father shrugged started to write again. This action infuriated Tempus.

How dare he so blatantly ignore me and blow me off like that!

"I will not be dismissed like that!" she said, raising her voice. "What was...what IS wrong?" Tempus's obsidian eyes glared at her father. She felt ridiculously vulnerable, stuck in a house full of prats with everyone hating her. The problem was that her father had been right! They didn't really like her just because of her name!

Snape sat his quill down pointedly and gave her his I'm-getting-tired-of-your-outburst look.

"What is wrong is, I think I've made a mistake by letting you enroll. You saw the way they reacted to your name! Now your in the worst house-"

"Your house!!" she interjected.

"Let me finish," he growled, "The worst house for you! You're attitude is far too big for that house and in a very different way than the others. You are intolerant of their proud behavior, which is precisely how I raised you to be. I never dreamed you'd attend, let alone be in my House."

Tempus sighed heavily and slumped into a chair. She had never cried in her life; she didn't know how. Crying had never been tolerated under Snape's care. But in this very moment, Tempus felt like crying. Her own father had reminded her of how unwelcoming the school had been. She clenched her jaw and fist. He couldn't be right. She wouldn't let him.

"I'll show you," she said, standing, "I'll make friends! And good ones! I refuse to live in your miserable shadow," Tempus replied violently, but very quietly. She rushed out of the room, wondering why her eyes burned so.

"Tempus!" Adrienne Smith hissed, shaking a sleeping Tempus.

Tempus groaned in reply.

"Wake up, you prude! What the hell are you doin' asleep at ten o'clock on a Friday night?" She continued, shaking Tempus rhythmically. Finally, when Tempus could ignore her no longer, she rolled over.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly, black eyes giving Adrienne a highly annoyed glare.

"To party--and you're coming with, so get a move on! Put on your ordinary clothes and let's go!"

"Go what?" Tempus asked groggily, getting up.

"Party! Honestly, Temp, have you never partied before?"

"Hogwarts has parties?"

Adrienne rolled her eyes and sighed as she stood up and yanked the sheets off of Tempus. "I swear, luv, you're impossible...this is a teen party that the Heads don't know about. It's about to start soon, so hurry it up will you?"

A little voice in Tempus's head told her to kick Adrienne in the head and go back to sleep, but her dire need for friendship forced her out of bed and into a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt.

"So what goes on at these parties?" Tempus asked, pulling her dark hair back into a high pony tail as she followed Adrienne down the very dark corridors to what she knew to be the Room of Requirement. Adrienne smiled evilly, "You'll see."

She whispered something to a statue and the Room's door opened. As soon as they walked in and shut the door, Tempus became aware of her surroundings. Thumping music that seemed to only have a beat, shook the room. The lights were dimmed and lights flashed throughout the room. Tempus almost asked why the teacher's couldn't hear this rumpus, but quickly stopped herself. Silencing spells, you idiot.

Tempus had read about such parties held by muggles. They enjoyed these parties so much that they had their own buildings for them called clubs. She never dreamed that this muggle fad would have been a favorite of wizarding teens.

"Tempus, Hey!" Draco shouted, as he approached the pair of them. He gave her a smoldering look and she pretended not notice. She really didn't want anything to do with him, but being nice to him was the least she could do. To be cool anyway.

"Hey," she replied, looking around at scores of teens bouncing and dancing to the music. She had to say that it looked like a lot of fun.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, staring at her chest, but she didn't notice as she was not looking at him.

"Er...sure," she replied helplessly. He grabbed her hand thoroughly pleased himself and dragged her to the dance floor, leaving Adrienne in a hump about her boyfriend running off with some other girl.

"Ever danced before?" he yelled over the music, several oblivious teens bumping into the pair of them. Tempus looked around. She had waltzed, tangoed, even could do the fandango, but never in her entire life had she been exposed to such corrupt dancing. Growing up with Severus Snape didn't allow such things.

"Erm...not like this...what are the requirements?" she asked seriously.

Draco let out a laugh. "You're too much, you know that? Well there aren't any...you just...oh I dunno, move to the music. Look at them." He pointed A couple moving up and down to the music, hips thrusting and bopping in time with the beat. It looked odd, unorganized and very provocative. Tempus felt like it wasn't something she should do but she was so desperate to make friends and even more desperate to stay on Draco's good side...

"Well, alright, I'll give it a go."

She moved her body with the music and found it much easier than it looked. Draco started his own little dancing which looked a bit ridiculous, but he sure did think he looked hip and sexy. Tempus let herself laugh a little, as she found herself getting better and better. Before she knew it (or could stop it for that matter) Draco came up behind her and was dancing with her. But not in a way she was comfortable with. She found that even though she really wanted to, she couldn't say a word to him. She waited it out for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes before stepping aside.

"I'm, er, hot," she said, rather pathetically, but Draco didn't notice. He led her off the dizzying dance floor. She saw Adrienne sitting at a table, Crabbe and Goyle drooling over her. She looked particularly un-amused and looked half relieved and half annoyed at the sight of Tempus and Draco.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Adrienne asked dryly. Draco sneered nastily, and Tempus gave her an apologetic look and shrugged.

"I think this is all wild. I've never seen anything like it."

Adrienne ignored her, "So Draco, when does the real party start?"

"I was hoping much later..." he said giving her a strange look.

"No you blundering idiot, not that. I mean the la Fée Verte"

"Oh, right. I got them in my pocket. Don't worry about it. We'll do them later."

Tempus looked at the two as though they were aliens. What on Earth was la Fée Verte?

"What?" Adrienne asked, sick of Tempus's staring. Tempus tried not to come off as an idiot. But she honestly didn't know what they were talking about

"Er...la Fée Verte what is it?" she asked coolly. Draco looked at Adrienne questioningly. "Hang on." He stood up and took Adrienne off to the side.

"Well...should we tell her?" he asked.

"Why on Earth shouldn't we, what's the big deal?" she asked.

"She is Snape's daughter...you don't think she'd tell. Do you?"

"Why don't you tell me? You've had your head so far up her arse you should be able to see her brain."

"Shut up, Adrienne, will you? Should we tell her or not?"

Adrienne sighed. "I say tell her. I bet she'll try it too. She seems a bit too eager to please. She won't tell."

They walked back, Draco's bravado back in place and an evil grin on Adrienne's face.

"Have you ever heard of absinth?" Adrienne asked, leaning in closer to her. Tempus's obsidian eyes flashed. Of course she knew what they were. How dare Adrienne condescend to her like that? But she bit her tongue and took it.

"Yes. My father is a master of potions, of course I've heard of absinthe." She replied coolly, not realizing the difference in drink that they were referring to. "Why do you have it?"

She did not know it was used as a recreational drug.

Adrienne laughed mockingly at her, which caused Tempus's face to flush in anger.

"To take of course!"

"Why not take Firewhisky, or something?" she asked, trying desperately to regain footing.

Adrienne rolled her eyes and Draco tried not to laugh.

"Because our absinth is far superior," she replied.

Tempus nodded, still not fully aware of what was going on.

Adrienne pulled a small bottle out of her purse. Tempus recognized it immediately as absinth, known to many 19th century bohemians as The Green Fairy. It was far different from absinthe. Tempus tried to remember as much as she could about it. Absinth was a distilled anise flavored liquor made from anise, grande wormwood and other herbs that she couldn't remember. Absinth had wormwood but most other ingredients were not there and had been replaced by other ingredients that she couldn't remember either. She racked her brain for more information, but she went blank.

"Want some? La Fée Verte always makes for a great party," Adrienne said, an evil smile playing on her face. Draco looked highly nervous, but Tempus didn't notice. She didn't know that witches and wizards generally replaced the original ingrediants with well known Muggle drugs. Narcotics and such.

"Why not?" Tempus replied coolly, but she was sweating a bit. A voice in her head begged her not to but the other side told her to be cool and fit in. To not make the same mistake as her father and become unliked.

She grabbed the bottle and took a large drink. It was bitter and sweet, hot and cold. It was unlike anything you or I have ever drank. She shook as a chill ran up her spine. She licked her lips and stared at the bottle. She felt her bloodpressure skyrocket and her pulse quicken. She grinned menacingly and stood up. She took another large gulp and shook less noticably this time. She felt a sudden surge of surreal energy. Tempus didn't look at Adrienne, but if she had she would have saw an evil smile that would have sobered her up immediate. It made even Drace shudder.

Tempus giggled in random jubilation and grabbed Draco's arm, yanking him out of his seat.

"Let's dance!" she shouted, smile bright but eyes rather dull not quite focused. Tempus dragged Draco through the dance floor and began making a ruddy fool of herself. Dancing, screaming, hooting and carrying on. She reached for the flask and Draco's eyes widened. He went to stop her from making a terrible mistake, but she was took quick. She took a third gulp, emptying the flask. She lost her footing and stumbled to the right and dropped the flask, sending it to the floor where it shattered. Everything was slower, and spinning slightly. Colors were brighter and everything unporportional and suddenly Tempus's energy left her. Her stomach churned and blood pounded through her temples relentlessly. She grimaced, and even though Draco reached for her, she stumbled past him and found her way out of the room.