Chapter 13: Padded names
DEDICATION: Reviews. Something everyone wants and only most of us gets. Thank you to everyone that bothered to give me something to mull over in the middle of the night.
"So, I have to name you?"
"Yes! For the tenth time!"
"It was only the eighth."
"Shut it Remus."
"Fine, I will consent as long as what ever I say, sticks."
"Oh, crap?"
The Hospital wing was the place where bonds, friendship or otherwise, were either forged or rebuilt. A place for healing, not just for the body.
The Marauders and the infirmary have a very close and versatile relationship over their seven years. It was a place for the pranked to groan and swear. It was a place for the foolish to moan and regret. It was the birth place for Sirius' smart ideas and Severus' constant headaches.
The Sorting Hat had never been wrong before. Not today, not ever. Slytherin would do Sirius justice, but Ravenclaw would lead him to greatness. Intelligence comes from many different things, after all.
You don't have to like it to believe it.
It was through that completely random secret telling meeting, courtesy of a smirking Sirius, that they learnt of Remus' illness and each other's special abilities. It was through that one night that they sought to be animagi, that they grew to have a full Hogwarts: A History chapter dedicated to the best pranksters in a century.
It was only with Sirius' insane ideas that they pranked so many people, teacher and students. It was through Sirius' spouts of madness that they managed to evade Filch and piss off McGonagall so many times and lived to tell the tale.
It was through his insanity that they saved so many lives, that they could go head to head with the Death eaters and still win.
The Black family was famous for its gifts and madness. You can hide it, or you can use it.
Gryffindor honor bravery, but they detest change. He would be forced to hide his gifts rather than use them and make a name for himself. They don't like change, they don't like anyone that could not be controlled. Power corrupts, and everyone suffers.
Sirius' insanity was welcomed and sometimes encouraged. It would be completely stupid at first, but everyone will say it's a godsend move in the end.
But, nicknames, really?
Severus wanted to bash Sirius' head into the wall because unlike him, our raven can actually use his head and do something productive with it. And it hurts, so...
The Twins were having a great old time, letting Severus doing the naming thing for them because it is always great fun to watch him struggle. Remus could literally hear him curse Madame Pomfrey's no magic in the infimary rule. It was thanks to the wise, headstrong nurse that Sirius still has all ten is his fingers in most of its proportions.
Severus held Madame Pomfrey in impossibly high regards, a well kept secret that everyone knew and tried to use to their own advantages. Read: Sirius Black.
Poppy Pomfrey was never biased to any of the four houses, she thought that blood or house prejudice are all a load of minotaur dung and was often seen chastising other professors when they took points unjustly. The reason Slytherin won the House Cup for the past two years is that they knew perfectly well when to shut up and when to start talking. They always get blamed, solely because they are proud of their ambition.
All because of a little Riddle.
It depends where you use that ambition and that magic gifted to you. Heal or destroy.
Slytherins always stuck together.
Much like brothers.
Alas, that's the only thing keeping Severus from naming Sirius Twinklestar or something.
Creativity was always Remus' forte, when bored he would weave and bend his silvery magic to his will and create something different, something new, something just there when he stopped his wand. It maybe a golden moon with the radiance of the sun, or the Whomping Willow with the knife blades of a raven. When he raised his wand, nobody could predict what would be born. Create, never destroy.
On the other hand, Severus always knew what he wanted when he let out his magic, his knowledge. Unlike the Twins, with their destructive and sometimes unfathomable magic, you never knew if they are going to kill you or give you a bouquet of flowers. Unlike Remus, a boy with the purest heart among them, when he lifts his wand, wonderful things were born, always warm to the touch.
There were a lot of things that Severus Snape can't do or won't do because he'll make a fool out of himself. Things like swimming and Divination, things like muggle mobile phones and learning French. Transfiguration was his worst subject and Healing was his second best.
There was no right or wrong, black or white concerning Severus. He doesn't care if you are the Dark Lord or the headmaster or the minister of magic, as long as you leave him alone, he will steer clear of your way.
He's not perfect. He can hold a grudge and when he sought to deliver, no one escaped unscathed. He always delivered utter misery when he was the one that baked the potions and planned the pranks, sometimes targeting a group of people, or just a single person.
With Severus, with a potion, you can't get even one thing wrong. 1+1=2. Sirius + James = A Lot Of People Getting Pranked. Voldemort + Death Eaters = A Lot Of People Dying. It's always the little things that gets you. One little wrong, and everything right goes right down to hell.
Potions can be changed, curses can be neutralized, spells can be created, but in the end, there's always a fixed goal, you always have a solid product left in the end.
A Potions Master would do almost anything to see their research finished and presented. Much like Severus and his cold determinations.
It was only because Remus was so tired from last night's running all over the place that he wasn't the one comparing cutlery to James' antlers. He was sick of Sirius' famous Puppy Dog eyes that he really doesn't want to do anything but watch Severus ask if Basa is a suitable name for James with a straight as hell face.
With a glare James shot him, it wasn't.
What in the **** **** **** world is Basa?
No idea.
Then why did you **** say it then?
Revenge.
****!
Language James.
We love silent conversations.
"So," Sirius half-smirked, "Anything?".
It's not everyday you catch Severus not knowing what to do, best savour the moments when it lasts. Fake it until you make it, was the Marauder's motto. He just juts shot him a withering look and decided that answering stupid questions is a waste of his precious breaths.
"Anything?"
Severus managed to turn resignation into another glare, as per his talents, "No. It would be good to model it after our animagus forms. It has to be fashionable and it can't be so ridiculous that everyone will snicker once you hear it, but that just limits our options even more. It has to be unique or else it'll defeat the whole purpose."
Rambling, a thing Severus had never done before. And it's only over names!
They pretended they hadn't witnessed the world changing event.
"Character huh?" Sirius blinked, tapping a finger to his chin, the girls swooned from their beds, nosebleeds from love potion overdose. Apparently princes will always go save the damsel in distress.
"Well, we could call James Whitlers or something, for his antlers and coat." Sirius was only half joking, and James looked ready to throttle him. Remus tried to act innocent. Severus muttered about immature children and tried to ignore his life.
"They are more like fork points than anyting else. If James put his mind to it, he could poke bloody holes into your body right this minute." Severus half sneered. Potter's form is ostentious enough without adding anymore fuel, noble or otherwise.
In the old legends, eons before Loki or Hecate, a white stag was the Lord of the North. A king.
Sirius scoffed, "As if he'll get to me before I rip his head off."
"If you can chew all that stuff growing out of the stag's head." Fact, Remus is all about facts.
"I'll get to him before he's within a foot of me. You are as loud as a giant in a china shop." James shot back viciously.
"True, a dog doesn't have those pads that cats have that makes them silent as Sev," Remus added after a quick water break. Pause, and all three of them turned their heads. Severus was currently glaring holes in the white blankets, being ignored by everyone and ignoring everyone.
Severus didn't even blink when he got dragged into the mess, though his eyes spoke volumes about revenge and payback.
"Well, at least I don't scare the living daylights out of ordinary people when they look at me!" Sirius fingered the water jug on the beside table, contemplating whether or not to up end it on Remus' already flattened hair. Hospital patient be damned.
"People would ran away screaming if any of us go for their throats," Severus said flatly, giving Black a warning glare when the mutt thought to turn the water jug on him.
"Werewolves lose their insanity because of the full moon. Like those energy candy bars that Sirius buys whenever we force them to study for exams." Remus said from beneath the thin hospital pillows, desperately trying to quell his exhaustion.
Sirius looked ready to argue and have a battle royale with James for some reason to prove his point, who's actually rolling up his sleeves. The infirmary looked ready to dodge and duck. Sometimes they fight for the stupidest reasons, or for no reason at all, or just for the sake of it.
"That's it!" Somebody exclaimed.
Sirius tripped and smashed his arm to Remus' exposed knee, James came crashing down with his flimsy wooden chair. Remus banged his elbows against bedpost. Severus had actually raised his voice...
The raven nenver yelled, never gotten excited. Hell, it'll be a miracle for him to lose his scowl when introduced to people he didn't like. Or perhaps just people in general. The only time they heard his voice rise to above average height was when Avery tried to break into his room in brood daylight.
It was scary.
It was still scary, but now just for the sheer unexpectedness of it. Is naming someone really that hard?
The answer: no duh!
Severus beamed in all jhis radiance, scarring another innocent bystander into severe severe trauma, and continued, "James you take Prongs, for your gutting antlers. Sirius is Padfoot, for his unable-to-walk-quietly feet. Remus is simple, Moony for the moon that hates Orion's raspberry scones!"
Utter and utmost silence.
Their expressions flickered from confusion to ecstasy then diverted to different branches. James: What did we do to push Severus over the edge? Sirius: I knew it. Severus does have the potential! Remus: Did potions fumes get into Severus' heads more than it already has?
It's pineapple scones, not raspberry.
Sirius calmed down first, dragging James up and away from lunging and shifting and poking Sev' eyes out in worry, did a screw come loose or something? The names may be childish, but they are memories that would follow them through their youth so they can laugh all about it when they are a hundred or something, wrinkled and toothless.
They each nodded in turn, obviously satisfied being a child for once.
Though...
"What about you?" Remus asked, honest confusion in his voice.
Severus gave him a blank look, paused for a second too long, and bashed his head into the foot of the hospital bed. James gave them a Did he actually think he could get away without one? look that spoke volumes. Sirius patted Sev's long hair as a method of comfort, glee oozing off of him in waves.
"Ruelux, my name is Ruelux Prince."
A sheepish smile, a confused group hug, an angry matron shooing them out of the infirmary door and some promises to come later (read: sneak in).
as the double doors slid closed and the pain killers finally numbed away the sharp edges of his pain, Remus could at last reflect in the safely of beloved silence and his own company.
The run last night was exhilarating, the naming ceremony was a short quidditch game. Isn't Moony a little too obvious? He hopes everyone else will stay oblivious, at least until after he graduated. The best of all was that the rare smiles on Severus' thin lips today, almost reached his eyes.
he liked the name Ruelux, poetic, and didn't think twice on why there is a last name, or how normal it sounds. They wanted the names to sound unique, but Severus' alias could be passed for an actual name.
Severus is a master at chess, at thinking several moves ahead. It may brand him as manipulative bastard, but anything is better than being dead.
Anything is better than Prongs too.
This was supposed to be part of last chapter but I got carried away with the chocolates so I'm really hyper and I just couldn't stop typing. I always liked white stags.
Names: Rue for the flower, which in medieval times is used in medicinal potions. Lux, in the language we all understand, is a measurement of light. A dedication to the original Severus, a week candle light in a sea of darkness. I once considered Stormcrow or Stormveil but after watching LOTR and understood that Stormcrow was not something nice, and shuffling over the plot details in the sequel I said stuff it and went with the original thing.
As said in my profile: Ruelux Prince is the main character of my novel and the alias of a canon character in the fandom of Harry Potter.
Pay attention to detail, is my advice to all of you reading.
Review please!