Chapter 11: Pendant Gifts
Warning: This story may contain traces of: OOC-ness, spoilers, tortures, magical spells, AU, swords, powerful spells, badly written but still very awesome duels, family, severitus, spouts of random insanity now and again, rambling author notes and minor character bashing. Engage at your discretion.
THE OTHER WARNING: This author is currently not very busy, bored out of her mind and suffers from severe cases of bad humor. Take the WARNING seriously, just not the author in general.
DEDICATION: This chapter is dedicated to my brother, whom I received from an enormous box of chocolates yesterday evening. This chapter is also a late Chrismas present to all of my readers. Thank you.
Severus Snape had wanted to bash his head against the breakfast table when an eagle owl came swooping down from no where and gave him a letter. When he opened it sometimes later, he wanted to bash James Potter's head against the table.
Marauder's Codex, Chapter 1: Laws and Regulations, Law number 2 clearly states that any current or past Marauders are allowed to prank their own teammate unless war has been declared and consented by both side (see chapter 6). Usually James and Sirius leave the more studious members of the pack alone, in fear of charmed possessions and cursed potions.
Usually James Potter were not that thick.
Severus had prayed to more than one god that common sense did not finally had enough and moved out after a turbulence filled 15 years of relationship with James. And to some extent, Sirius as well.
The envelope was plain parchment, albeit on the heavier side of the scale, flipping the heavy package around, he could see the wax purple seal made from first class Hogwarts candles they nicked from Filch's heavy supply cupboard.
He knew what purple meant, he was violet and black, Remus was brown and amber, Sirius was blue and cyan and James was red and orange. Their magic signature, reflecting their personalities.
A violet seal meant secret, not to opened on the breakfast table, kill anyone that tries to take it.
He stuffed his Charms essay into his bag and the envelope into his pocket before flicking a spoonful of mashed potato at Rabastan Lestrage's general direction, hoping to start an impromptu food fight in the Great Hall to cover up his absence. He knew nothing short of a Dark Lord storming in with his army or Gryffindors trying to best the snakes could keep the younger Lestrange's eyes off of him.
The seventh year boy was the topic of discussion in the Slytherin common rooms from the start of the school year up until even now. There was the private proposal and engagement party pf Narcissa black and Lucius Malfoy that Rabastan boasted loudly about, the OTP ship that was finally sailing, much to the delight and face palm from the rest of the school when they heard the news.
That's was only a fraction of the problem.
The problem was that a megalomaniac dark wizard Lord Voldemort that quickly graduated from 'dark wizard' to Dark Lord, with power and money and muggleborn killings that were all promised by the bucketful was introduced to the students.
You would an idiot if you missed the declaration of war and the dead Minister for Magic drowning in Auror type blood when Voldemort threw his carcass down for all to see.
A third of the student body embraced the Dark Lord like he's their savior, spewing lies learned from their parents or others. Another part of the school tried desperately to remain neutral and act like nothing was happening. The rest either treated Voldemort as a joke, or their mortal enemy.
The recruitments have started, Slytherin was the first.
contrary to popular belief, the snake den was not full of evil doers that stole children away from their beds like the stories parents have often told at bedtimes. They have a dark past, but they have a sense of intelligence and self preservation not lost among them. It's how you use the ambition that's given to you that defines you.
Indeed, for in all the great wars that happened after Hogwarts was built, Slytherins were the spies and the strategists that never failed to gauge valuable information and devising clever plots to bring home victory. They knew how to get to what they wanted, no matter the cost. Manipulation, or sacrifice.
Slytherrins loves to play chess.
Fortunately for Hogwarts, the wafts of war had not yet blown through its halls, so the Marauders could still get away with pranks with some McGonagall screaming at them for making fun in such a serious situation.
It also helps that the most popular group in Hogwarts hates the Dark Lord's guts like there's no tomorrow.
Usually violet meant an early notice of muggle slaughter that happened in the night, a new tidbit of information that James knew before everyone else for the two way mirror he had with his father. Other times books and essay topics were hidden beneath it, defense and animagi.
He was initially against the idea of two unregistered animagi running around every month without supervision. But the threat of the new dark lord and the growing freedom of the wolf eventually convinced him to help his friends through the tedious process.
He would do anything to see if a gigantic bear pounced on Lucius Malfoy while he's flicking away his annoyingly shiny blonde hair.
Severus could hear toasts being fired and scrambled eggs being launched all the way from the unused classroom on the third corridor. It seems the competitive streak between the houses of red and green were ignited once again with the splattering of sausages.
He wouldn't call Hogwarts a place of piece and unity but the house rivalries that existed when he first stepped into the castle was not just a puddle of friendly competition instead of the bloody politics polluting the now friendly airs.
He sincerely regretted his method of escape.
Although, he was too busy gawking his head off at what he was given, and cursing James Potter down to the deepest pit of hell, to feel much grief for the state of the Great Hall, and everything in it.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He just could not understand why Potter would went through his you-have-no-idea-how-stupid plan.
It all started when the newly renamed James **** (I am trying to make this G rated, I don't need to fail even more miserably!) Potter boasted accidentally about his family's wealth and vaults at one of Marauder's Planning and Eating meetings in the middle of the kitchen, which resulted in Black's boasting, Remus's chocking and Severus's goading them both further in.
That was a year ago.
Next time, he will make sure to look before he tore Potter's ego to shreds.
In the end, James Potter vowed to every deity "up in heaven and down in hell that I will show you impressive! I will make you eat your words Snape!"
Severus should have payed more attention to that promise. He spent too much time with Gryffindors that was was clouding his intelligence.
It's beautifully made, he'll give Potter that much.
Inside the perfectly normal envelope was a letter written in perfectly boring black ink that could be measured on the thick side, and an obsidian circlet that Severus knew instantly to be able to fit perfectly onto his wrist.
It didn't look like much, just a row of polished black links that would cost a fortune and a diamond shaped pendant that would cost much more.
He latched it onto his wrist, and cursed Potter's whole family this time when he felt the magic etched in the metal. Pride is a doubled edged blade, to hurt or to protect. He knew Potter have his ego larger than the average size but this is just ridiculous. He didn't have to go that far to prove his points!
It happened a year go! 365 days! Remus was the one with the photographic memory, not the foolish Gryffindor that could turn McGonagall into a cat and still get away with it!
Severus vaguely remembered on one occasion that Remus complained about not knowing where everyone is when they were camping out in the charms classroom to supervise the construction of the winged keys and Sirius was the one that went out all the way and tried to trick Filch into giving him his newly third cat.
"Damn it all," he muttered as his fingers traced the diamond that hung on his left wrist, half transparent in the sunlight. It didn't reflect light, though he could see the swirling blackness trapped inside it, waiting to break free. Magic was magic, no matter how you used it.
It was beautiful and delicate, as if a tiny squeeze would shatter the gem into a million pieces. He could feel the indentation of a curved 'M' with crimson wings on one side, and the details of four animals on the other.
A shaggy black dog, a majestic white stag, a powerful amber wolf stood huddled together beneath the starry full moon, with a midnight raven stretching its wings above, protecting them with its knife blade feathers.
He first stretched his powerful wings on the night of his sorting, jumping out of the window that was made for private owls, flying half the night, through the forbidden forest and around and around the lake, using his wings to cut deep swathes on the clear water. It was then that he tasted freedom, and how bitter it truly was.
It was impossible for a wizard to have a magical animagus form, but there were instances of Transfiguration Masters having peculiar oddities with their forms. Severus wanted to be free, so they gave him wings. He wanted to fight, so they gave him blades. He didn't question it, there wasn't much for him to comment about.
The four animals, noble, proud and powerful. Fitting. He shuddered to think what would happen if you stick a squirrel in there, or a rat. It would ruin the whole thing.
Severus instinctively knew which is which, just as he knew that Sirius Black is drying his robes in the Ravenclaw common rooms, James Potter is denying all involvement with the food fight in McGonagall's office and Remus Lupin is about to open the door to the classroom he's currently in.
The flimsy wooden thing banged open, Severus scowled as he turned his gaze to the newcomer. Fury and rage was pouring off Remus like waves. It seemed that he remembered what Potter said too.
"Did you get one?" The werewolf whisper screamed, in his hand clutched a thin ring, made out of moonstone upon closer scrutiny. The cursive M was the same, but there were brown lines surrounding the letter, creating a pattern that looked as if was made by a fine designer pencil. The wolf howled his anger on the inside of the band, the stag and the dog cringed away from it, the raven flew nonchalantly above them all.
Severus merely raised his left arm, the amethyst stone gleamed proudly, as if challenging the sweating moonstone in Lupin's hands.
Remus sighed and flopped down on a badly cracked desk, his fingered tracing over the ring, as if trying to erase its overall existence. If there was the one thing that Severus could call common with the werewolf, was that they both detest charity.
He was used to poverty when he was still living at Spinner's End, when he was shoved into a world full of crystal chandeliers and goblin made plate, he couldn't help but feel trapped, as if the basic rights of family given to him were demanded to be payed, sometimes later. He knew wealth, but always pretended to have less, almost fooled himself to think he had less.
The higher you climbed, the more miserable you will be when you fall.
"Now we can't even take revenge on them." Remus almost pouted, the band was dug deeper into his finger in frustration and anger. James and Sirius did not understand, because they have never touched anything foul in their lives.
They will learn.
In the middle of a crisis, where you are on a battlefield filled with spells to kill and curses to mortally wound, it is vital to know where the hell your allies are. But plotting revenge on the other hand... not so welcomed.
Severus sympathetically patted Remus on the shoulder, careful to not make any sudden movements, his brilliant mind already cursing James to the deepest parts of Helheim and Tartarus and beyond.
Did James actually use all of his brain capacity when he was plotting this construction?
"Did Potter take our abilities into account?" He fingered the pendant with a mind half racing. Please tell me he didn't, please tell me he didn't!
Pause.
Remus stopped abusing his ring, Severus stopped tapping against the polished links, James stopped explaining when a cold shiver went down his spine and Sirius stopped flapping his wet robes to drool over some seventh year girls.
Two smiles appeared on Severus and Remus' faces, creepily identical.
"Let's find out."
Severus will thank James some years later, when the only thing that kept his sanity is that link of metal that the Death Eaters over looked, the grime and blood unable to touch the purple pendant.
Enjoy the relative peaceful times while you can, because a darkness is coming. One that you cannot end without the proper sacrifices.
To curse someone, is to dig a double grave.
Watching James scream like a little girl was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Severus threw Law Number 2 right out the window when James woke up in a bed full of spiders. When he opened his trunk five minutes later he found himself full of spiders, real ones this time. Sirius woke up the girls dormitories because he couldn't remember what happened last night.
It was not a pretty sight.
Severus and Remus showed no remorse and no lies when confronted and revealed all their cards.
They didn't take off their merits, though they found out that it does not block their abilities from being known, but when Remus tried to rip the circlet off, it held like a mouthful of iron teeth. Clever. Nothing could spell them off, though they didn't try very hard. It was only through bribery of plants and helps of potions that Frank Longbottom picked the locks on James' trunk. It only left potions for Sirius.
You would end up in the infirmary if you tried to snoop around Severus' belongings. As for Remus, well you'll have to find it first.
They didn't regret it one bit. Even if the Twins did not understand why they did it, even when the twins chased them around the corridors. Right this instant. Thank god it was on a weekend.
Severus laughed as he tore through the hall, scattering the students and earning glares from the teachings, gliding around the floating candles and flying parchments. Remus was just a head, and James three steps behind. It was fun, to lose control like that once in a while. He hadn't laughed in ages, or having a smile that reached his eyes.
He cast a glance backwards and laughed again when he saw the spiders hanging onto James' robes for dear life, the amulet around his neck flashing red as M on the garnet reflected off the sunlight. He could see Sirius a couple of steps behind the bespectacled boy, his Beater muscles making it a tad harder for him to run, the cobalt blue manacles on his wrist dangerous as his grey eyes.
How the hell did James get their measurements again?
Severus didn't think much on that particular creepy question before another took over his mind as he made Dumbledore's beard fly up against his face as he quite literally slide down the banisters, members of the proud team consisted of Hogwarts portraits and Hogwarts moving stair cases.
A dog and a stag.
Does that mean they were animagi now?
This chapter is very important, it means either life or death to our band of Marauders. You'll see. I do believe James can pull that off, with his father being a seasoned auror, the best in the field and his family wealth. You have no idea how many fics I've read about Harry Potter being the heir of this family and that family and having a manor and a lot of money with Dumbledore being a should-die-bastard. Good stories, good stories.
Even if the Potter family couldn't do that, then James had the help of the heir of the Black family. Have you read what they said about the Blacks on the Harry Potter Wiki?
Pay attention to detail, is my advice to all of you reading.
Do any of you have any suggestions on what to call Severus Animagus form? I really need suggestions, the naming ceremony is next chapter! Review please!