Disclaimer: I don't own this
(Saturday, February 11th)
"Anything you'd like to add, Snape?" Yaxley asked.
Severus blinked, focusing back in on the meeting. "Potter has been annoying lately; give him hell."
The Slytherins' smiles were sharp.
"It'd be our pleasure," Yaxley said. "Let's go destroy those bloody Gryffindors!"
The team roared in agreement, and they swept out of the changing rooms in formation. Blinking against the sun, Severus followed the team and took his place on the field. He didn't bother to return the twin glares Potter and Black were giving him.
"Now, I want a clean game, from all of you," Madam Hooch said, glaring in particular at the four beaters who were known to play dirty. Especially when they were playing against each other. "In the off chance that you decide to ignore me, Madam Pomfrey is on standby, and she will ground you should you not pass her health check upon injury. Take that for the warning it is, ladies and gentlemen."
More like the invitation to do the absolute best they could to injure the other team to the point they had to forfeit. This was bound to be the bloodiest game in Hogwarts' history, even without Severus telling the team to go for Potter.
With a final look at both teams, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, high and shrill, and Severus kicked off from the ground as they all exploded into action. He settled into his trance as he streaked across the sky to his position in front of the hoops.
Hearing the high-pitched whine of displaced air, Severus barrel rolled out of the way of a bludger, courtesy of Black.
"I don't know how Snape dodged that bludger, but better luck next time Black Major!" the announcer shouted. Severus shot them an unimpressed glare before turning his attention back to the pitch.
Blurs of green and red tore through the air, weaving around each other and the bludgers that were being rocketed towards anyone and everyone with extreme prejudice. Not for the first time, Severus was glad his place was in front of the hoops and not out there on the bloody battlefield of a Quidditch Pitch.
"Ooh," the announcer winced with the crowd, pulling just an ounce of Severus's attention away from the quaffle. "That's Potter down now, took a bludger to the face, and from his own teammate too! Poor girl looks rather distraught. Black Major calls for a timeout!"
He couldn't have stopped the laugh bubbling up even if he tried.
Evans was good at the game, so how the hell did she manage to hit her own teammate with a bludger? Not that he actually cared, mind you, especially not since it was Potter she took out.
Regulus drifted over to his side, a lazy smirk on his face. "I do so love it when someone else manages to do our dirty work for us, don't you?"
"Quite," Severus snorted, his laughter dying down.
"I doubt Pomfrey will let him back up in the air after that," the other said. "And Evans is bound to be off her game after this. If we don't win this game, I'll eat my broom."
"Ah, but don't you know the heroes always win?" Severus asked, voice laden with derision. "Surely the daring, darling lions will snatch victory from our serpentine jaws of defeat."
Regulus cracked a toothy grin at that. "You're hilarious, Severus. Is your wit always this dry and cutting?"
Severus' lips twitched into a brief smirk. "Perhaps."
"Madam Pomfrey has benched Potter!" The announcer shouted. "I can't believe it! For the first time in I don't know how many years, the Lions have to use a substitute player!"
Severus and Regulus exchanged amused looks. Losing their star player was going to absolutely wreck the Gryffindors' morale.
"I so desperately want to see how this goes," Severus said. "Want to drag it out as much as possible?"
"I like the way you think, Severus," Regulus said with a sharp smile. "I'll play interference with their Seeker."
Madam Hooch blew her whistle, putting the game back into play. Regulus flew off with a jaunty little wave and Severus settled in to watch the most humiliating game of Quidditch in Gryffindor history.
{Furius Draconis}
Lily sat next to James's bed in the hospital wing. She had not escaped that game unscathed – none of the Gryffindors had – her arm was in a sling, and she had strict instructions to not overdo it for the next week.
The rest of the team had gone back to the common room already. Even Sirius had gone on, perhaps realizing Lily wanted to apologise as soon as possible and wanted to give her the privacy to do so. He was shockingly thoughtful and insightful when he wanted to be.
Did he pick up that I like James too? She wondered. Remus had been giving her increasingly knowing and smug looks since she had that talk with him. He even went so far as to wag his eyebrows at her, the absolute cad. After talking to him, she had done some soul searching and found that liking James Potter wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. And apparently, she wasn't very good at hiding it, at least not from Remus. Or from anyone other than James himself, now that she thought about it. She had been getting a lot of looks in Gryffindor Tower lately; whispers and giggles seemed to follow her especially when she was around James.
For a Gryffindor, she sure was having a hard time mustering up the courage to tell the bloke she liked him. Admitting it out loud seemed to be nightmarish. She had been looking for an opportunity to do so, but she rarely, if ever, managed to catch James on his own lately. After turning him down for years she didn't exactly want an audience when she confessed her feelings for him.
"Hey," James rasped, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Oh Merlin, James, I'm so sorry," she said, tears brimming in her eyes. "I didn't mean to-"
"Oi, what's this?" he asked, trying to sit up only to groan from the effort and fall back. "Sweet merciful Merlin, why does my head feel like I've been trampled by a cross erumpent?"
"'Cause I hit you in the face with a bludger," Lily said morosely, wiping at her eyes.
"You what?"
"I didn't mean to! I was aiming for Yaxley, and you flew right into it!"
"Huh," he said, slumping back against his pillows. "I take it we lost then?"
Lily snorted. "You're lucky you weren't there for the rest of it. We got absolutely slaughtered. I think we ended up breaking about half of the rules of Quidditch today too."
James was silent for a beat. "There's seven hundred rules."
"I know. I think Madam Hooch was impressed once she was done being angry at us all."
"I'd imagine so," he snorted. "What was the score?"
Lily bit her lip before sighing. "680 to 0."
James's jaw dropped. "680?" he asked, his voice faint. "How…? What…?"
"Bastard though he may be, Snape is one devil of a Keeper, and with the substitute player in for you, none of our plays worked well. The Slytherin Beaters were absolutely merciless and Black Minor kept running interference with the Snitch before Wood could get close enough to it. It was an absolute cluster fuck, James, after you went down."
James threw an arm over his head and groaned. "That's just, bloody brilliant."
"I'm so sorry," she said softly, tears welling in her eyes again.
He shot up, as much as he was able to. It was more of a jerk than anything, and he reached for her hand which she gladly took. "Hey, it's okay, I don't blame you. Accidents happen, right?"
"James, I smashed your face in with a bludger," Lily said. "You can't possibly forgive me that easily."
He shrugged. "Sure I can. You didn't mean to, and it's you." He smiled at her and brushed his thumb over her hand he was still holding, sending a jolt up Lily's arm and down her back.
"Go to Hogsmeade with me," she blurted without thinking. James's jaw dropped again and she felt her face go up in flames with embarrassment.
"I… are you serious?" he asked, his voice strained.
She coughed out a laugh, "No, he went up to the common room, I'm Lily." He stared at her in disbelief, and she could practically see his brain trying to catch up to what she said so she took pity on him. "Yes, I was serious, James. Go to Hogsmeade with me?"
"YES!" he shouted, jumping out of the bed before groaning and sinking to the floor with his head in his hands.
"James!"
"Mister Potter! Miss Evans!" Madam Pomfrey barked at them, storming out of her office. "What is the meaning of this?! I told you not to disturb Mister Potter and to not overdo it, Miss Evans!"
"Sorry!" James yelped before Lily could. "Sorry, it's my fault! She wasn't disturbing me! Promise!"
"Honestly James," Lily said. "I could've waited to ask you until you were out of the hospital wing – it's my fault Madam Pomfrey, I'll leave."
The matron harumphed before levitating James back into his bed. "Curfew is in twenty minutes, so you had best be going, Miss Evans."
"Yes ma'am," she said. She looked at James who had the biggest, goofiest grin on his face that she had ever seen. "I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"
"Brill," he said. "I'm holding you to that, Lily Evans."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, James Potter. Good night."
"Good night," he said, his smile stretching impossibly wider, blinding in its bliss.
{Furius Draconis}
(Wednesday, March 1st)
The large, oak door, adorned with silver inlay of the night sky, creaked open. A creature with floppy ears and bulbous eyes was on the other side. "What can Mopsy do for the master?" it asked.
"Tell the Lord of the Manor that Lord Voldemort wishes to speak with him."
The little creature squeaked in fright and slammed the door in his face. The Dark Lord's temper sparked, but he would wait. He had to be patient to get what he wanted here. There was no way to coerce a Lord into naming someone their heir, Magic knew the difference.
He only had to wait for a few moments before the door opened again, this time a wizard was behind it, and Voldemort could see a family resemblance in him to both Eileen and Severus.
"Dark Lord Voldemort," the man said, neither welcoming nor hostile. "What brings you to my manor?"
"Your daughter," He answered. "And your grandson."
If the lord was surprised, he did not show it. "Then I suppose I should invite you inside." He said as he shifted out of the way to allow the other entry. Voldemort inclined his head and stepped inside. Lord Prince gestured for him to follow.
They did not speak until they were seated in an ornate parlor. "Tea?" Lord Prince asked.
"Yes," Voldemort replied.
A full tea set popped onto the side table which caused Lord Prince to glare at the air. "Blasted elves," he grumbled and then set about pouring the tea first for Voldemort and then for himself.
"So," he said, once they both had their cups of tea. "What is it about the one who was once my daughter and her offspring that brings you here?"
Voldemort took a sip of the tea before he answered. "Did you know that she killed the Muggle she was married to?"
Lord Prince's teacup paused halfway to his mouth briefly before he brought it the rest of the way up to drink. "I did not," he said softly.
"Did you know that Severus – your grandson – achieved the highest scores on the OWLs since I myself set the previous record?"
He set his cup down on the saucer and balanced it on his knee with one hand. "I did not know that either."
"I thought not," Voldemort said. "Young Severus has long since caught my eye, I would be lucky to have an heir half the wizard he is."
"He is not my heir," Lord Prince said, his tone unyielding. "Nor will you be able to convince me to reinstate my daughter and thus him. He is a half-blood. I will not allow my family to fall to such… filth."
"You would instead allow your name to die?" Voldemort asked, curious. "Severus has proven himself to be worthy of any pureblood name, and as Lord Slytherin, I should think my opinion carries some weight, don't you?"
"Test scores mean nothing-"
"Are you aware of the events that took place at the Malfoy Yule Ball?" Voldemort asked, cutting him off.
"I am not," the Lord said, still as indifferent as he was when he opened the door.
Voldemort smiled at him; it wasn't a pleasant smile. "You don't seem to know many things. But no matter, I can show you my memory of the event." He pulled a moleskin pouch from a pocket inside his robes and withdrew his shrunken Pensieve. With a careless flick of his wand, he resized it and then withdrew his memory of his duel with Severus and put it into the bowl which he then sent floating over to the other man.
Lord Prince gave him an unreadable look before he submerged himself into the memory. Voldemort sat, sipping his tea while he waited. It was difficult to get a read on the man, tight as his occlumency shields were. It was almost like the man didn't exist, which Voldemort had never encountered before. He knew Severus had some skill with Occlumency, just not the extent of it. Perhaps it is part of their family magic? It would make Severus an ideal candidate for spying… but with the amount of effort I've put into him being a duelist, it would be a shame to use him in such a limiting way.
Before he could ponder the situation further, Lord Prince emerged, and Voldemort silently summoned his Pensieve back to him.
"That was my grandson?" Lord Prince asked softly, emotion entering his voice for the first time during Voldemort's visit.
"It is," Voldemort confirmed.
"He's strong," Lord Prince said, his eyes distant. "Stronger than I thought possible with the filth that sired him."
"Strong enough to be the youngest of my Chosen, the Dominus of my Knights of Walpurgis."
"I must admit, I do not know as much as I perhaps should about you and yours, Dark Lord Voldemort," Lord Prince said. "How might I persuade you to tell me more about your… organization?"
"Consider taking young Severus as your heir," Voldemort said. "After all, this is not information I would part with lightly to an outsider."
Lord Prince seemed to think it over for a moment before he gave a tight nod. "Very well, I will… consider it."
"Good," Voldemort said with a curling smile. "As for my organization… well, it really started during my years at Hogwarts, growing from those who were closest to me. Our aims have evolved into ensuring the purity of the Wizarding world, to keep any and all muggle influence from polluting it.
"The hierarchy within is not unlike what you might find in Slytherin House at Hogwarts, with one exception: my Chosen. These are witches and wizards who have caught my eye – piqued my interest – in one way or another. I have personally tutored these individuals to help them realize their full potential.
"It is up to them to find their own place within the hierarchy of my Knights, but they almost always end up on top, and are hence the Dominus of my Knights. My inner circle, if you will.
"Severus is the youngest to have ever garnered my attention – he is a genius with potions. He received an owl over the summer from the head potioneer at EML Potions, requesting that he become their apprentice. He has created spells on his own, and his grasp of magic, in general, is far beyond what my own had been at his age."
"Is that how he gained your attention? His gift with potions?" Lord Prince asked.
"Partially," Voldemort said with a nod. "Word also reached me of his aptitude for dark magic, as well as his resistance towards it. I do not believe that he need fear falling too deep into dark magic or losing his mind to it. I have since been training him in the art of dueling. He has the makings of being a great duelist."
"I will have to speak with him," Lord Prince said, his face closing off once more. "He must know the Old Ways before I call him my… heir. Now, what about Eileen did you wish to speak to me about?"
Voldemort tilted his head as he thought about what might be the best way to approach the topic of the man's daughter. "She made a mistake when she attached herself to that Muggle, and she is paying the price for it. Wild Magick has formed in her core, and it has… progressed."
"But she killed the Muggle," Lord Prince said, confused.
"Yes," Voldemort said. "Severus told me he noticed signs of the Wild Magick in his fourth year – three years ago now."
The teacup in Lord Prince's hand shattered, but his face betrayed nothing. "I will name Eileen's boy my heir and then step down. He can give her a peaceful ending, I – I cannot. Thank you, for bringing this to my attention." He stood abruptly and gave a jerky bow. "Please see yourself out." And then he swept from the room, leaving Voldemort sitting there, slightly taken aback by what just happened.
{Furius Draconis}
(Saturday, March 11th)
A chime sounded behind Albus, alerting him that someone was coming up the stairs to his office. He halfheartedly pulled his attention away from his pensive, floating within a copy of Horace's memory of the fearsome duel between Tom and the mysterious Dragon.
There was something familiar about the Dragon, he just couldn't point his wand at this boggart!
A knock at the door had him call, "Enter!" A dark figure strode in, more confident than Albus had ever seen him. "Ah, young Severus!" he greeted, brightening. "Off to meet with Zeus?"
"Yes sir," the teen said with a gravitas that Albus had quickly become fond of. Such a serious young man!
"How progresses your apprenticeship?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, sir," Severus said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before continuing, "Zeus believes our most recent experimentation into combining potions with defensive and offensive magic holds promise."
Albus's bushy eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Truly? Now that would be a feat worthy of a Potions Master."
Severus arched a brow at him in turn. "Oh?"
"I'm sure you are already aware that potions are a delicate branch of magic," Albus said to which Severus nodded. "I had not considered that it would be possible to combine such delicate balances of magic with anything as wild and strong as defensive and offensive magic."
Severus cocked his head as if he were considering his words the way a muggle scientist would an organism they were dissecting. It was an intense stare, but Albus did not feel discomfited by it. He felt like he had come to know the teen well this year, and he knew him to be a good man. An odd man undoubtedly, but a good man.
"Zeus said much of the same when I first suggested it to him, but if the magic is layered throughout the process, cast at low levels, it theoretically should not destabilize the potions."
"Marvelous," Albus said simply, his eyes twinkling madly. "Well! Off you go! I shan't keep you from your experimentations, young Severus."
The austere young man tipped his head in acknowledgment and then he was through the floo and Albus was once again alone with the memory in his pensive. Dipping just a pinky into the swirling liquid, Albus then found himself standing before the trio of dark Wiccan as they entered Malfoy's hall, their strides powerful and with purpose. Confident, threatening, electric.
Like all the other times Albus had watched this memory, his gaze was pulled to the Dragon. Like the man had his own gravitational pull. A quiet demand for respect and attention.
The scene, now familiar, played out just like it always did, and Albus was still left with the feeling that he knew the Dragon somehow.
But how?
Something was pulling at Albus's mind as he watched the Dragon fight once more, something he knew was important. But the further he chased it the harder it was to grasp it, like trying to capture mist with bare hands. Perhaps, he was getting too old for this.
{Furius Draconis}
(Friday, March 17th)
"Good afternoon, class," Professor Cosima White called over the chattering voices which quiet almost immediately. By this point in the year, they all knew better than to try to keep talking over her. "Today, as part of our review for your NEWT you all will be showing me that you're capable of handling dark creatures.
"We'll start with boggarts, follow me."
Severus traded a grim look with Lupin as they stood with the rest of the class to follow the professor.
"This isn't going to end well," Lupin said. He was eyeing Severus with some worry.
"No," he said, his voice tight. "It won't." He was gripping the strap on his satchel to the point his knuckles were turning white.
Narcissa dropped by his side once they were out in the hallway. "Severus…"
"I know," he grunted.
"Maybe Professor White will allow us to go with just her as witness," Narcissa tried. She knew he had plenty of fears the boggart could pull from, but she didn't know the nature of them all.
Severus shook his head, just as Lupin spoke up. "That's not likely. She's big on using other people's mistakes as a learning experience for the rest of us."
Narcissa shot him an unimpressed glare that sent him scampering off to other Gryffindors before she returned her focus to Severus. "It will be alright, darling."
"I'll have to double down on the Slytherins after this," he muttered. "I just know it."
"Regulus will help," she reminded him.
He shook his head. "It wouldn't be good if he did, you know that."
She bit her lip. "It will be alright."
He gave her a tight smile but said nothing else. His mind was abuzz with all the potential forms his boggart would take. Lupin transformed was one, his mother killing Tobias and then turning on him was another. Narcissa injured by Malfoy – Narcissa hurt at all.
Salazar, this was going to be a disaster.
They all filed into the teacher's lounge with no small amount of giggling from some of the Gryffindors. Professor McGonagall was in there, woe unto them. A single glare from her had them shutting up and straightening their uniforms.
"What is the meaning of this, Professor White?" McGonagall asked.
"Boggart lesson, Professor McGonagall," she said.
"You could not have moved it to another location?"
"I could have, but as I sincerely doubt any of these students have spent any amount of time in here, no one will be at an advantage as part of this lesson is also locating the boggart."
"Very well," the Head of Gryffindor said as she stood. "I will be in my office, then." She swept from the room before Professor White could say anything more.
Severus got the distinct feeling that Professor McGonagall did not approve of Professor White's lesson.
"Get with your partners and get to looking for the Boggart. The first pair who finds it wins five points for their House," Professor White said and they all leaped into action.
Remus and Evans drifted over to Severus and Narcissa – he could feel the hostility radiating off of his dear friend as they approached.
"This is a stupid lesson," she hissed before striding over to Evans. As she passed her, she glowered at the redhead who recoiled before scrambling to follow Narcissa.
"Ready Severus?" Remus asked, pulling his attention away from Narcissa subtly bullying Evans.
"As I'll ever be," he said.
Together they half-heartedly poked around the staff lounge, neither really enthused about finding the boggart and having their worst fear broadcasted to their classmates.
A student yelped across the room before slamming a cupboard door shut. "I found it!"
"Very good, take five points each," Professor White said. "Now, everyone line up, and wands out," she called.
Severus allowed his classmates to line up in front of him. He wanted to delay this as long as possible. Remus and Narcissa both hovered around him – he appreciated their concern, different as they were. It was almost enough to take his mind off the impending disaster. Remus kept up an inane chatter about their projects on his left side, while Narcissa stood on his right, her arm in his, maintaining an icy indifference about the chatty Gryffindor. He could practically feel the concern radiating off of her though.
All too soon, it was his turn. Keeping his head held high, Severus approached the cupboard and gave Professor White a terse nod to let her know he was ready. With a flick of her wand, the door opened. From within came a blood-curdling howl, Severus felt all of the blood draining from his face as a werewolf came slinking out of the cupboard. Its eyes were a glowing green, and lacking all the warmth of Remus's.
His knees nearly gave out when he saw the werewolf was dragging a body with it – Narcissa.
He stood frozen, transfixed by the horrible scene before him.
The weight of the stares of his two friends on his back was enough to pull him out of his stupor. He blinked, drew in a breath, and snarled "Riddikulus!" the wolf yipped and scurried back into the cupboard which slammed shut. Narcissa's body disappeared, but Severus stood staring at the ground where it had been, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. His magic was wound so tightly within him that it hurt. He needed to let it out, needed to do something before he exploded.
"Permission to be excused from class, Professor White?" he asked, his voice low and strained.
"Ah… granted, Mr. Snape, if you tell me when you encountered a werewolf and how you're not one now."
He shot her a nasty glare. "Ask the Headmaster," he snarled. He spun on his heel and stalked out of the lounge, silently summoning his bag as he went. Damn what the Slytherins thought, he needed to get out. Narcissa was hot on his heels.
"The nerve of that woman," she seethed as she caught up to him. Severus only managed to grunt in response.
From the corner of his eye, he could see her bite her lip, like she wanted to ask something, but seemed to think better of it. "Where are we going, darling?" she asked instead, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder.
"Flying," he said shortly. "Either I do that, or I destroy something in a spectacular fashion."
"Flying it is then," she said with a nod. "I'll stay with you if that is what you wish."
"It is," he said without hesitation. He reached for her hand and took it in a crushing grip. "Always."
{Furius Draconis}
Later that day after he had managed to blow off some steam, Severus's quiet corner in the common room was invaded by curious and vicious Slytherins.
"Snape… have you really encountered a werewolf on the full moon?" Yaxley asked tentatively as he sat on the couch by Severus's chair.
Severus shot him a glare over his book. "Yes," he answered tersely.
"How'd you get away?" Avery asked from where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes sharp. "Or were you bitten?"
Severus rolled his eyes. "Pure dumb luck," he said. "You shared a dorm with me for the past six years, Avery. I know you're slow, but I'd like to think that you'd be able to catch on if I had been missing from the dorm every full moon."
"Was it… Narcissa the beast had in its mouth?" Parkinson asked, settling into the couch next to Yaxley.
"It is no secret that she is the person I'm closest to," Severus said gruffly. "Of course I'd fear that a werewolf would attack her."
"I have heard them howling in the Forbidden Forest before," Lestrange Major mused.
"Don't fucking remind me," Severus shuddered, his tone sharp. Lestrange Major wisely shut his mouth.
"What was it like?" Avery asked, his eyes sharp. "Encountering a werewolf?"
Severus pinned him with a ferocious glare. "Shall I take you down to the Hall and show you, Avery?" He asked, his tone dangerous. "I've been experimenting with some spells that elicit fear. I might just be able to invoke the same level of fear in you if you were stood before a pack of transformed werewolves."
The other teen blanched. Having experienced some of Severus's spells firsthand, he wasn't particularly enthused at the prospect of experiencing more. "No," he said. "I apologize for asking."
But Severus wasn't feeling particularly merciful just then, not when it was Avery who had been needling him. He loosened his hold on his magic, maintaining eye contact with the other teen. It unfurled slowly like the wings of a dragon and loomed over them, heavy and oppressive. With a mental twist and jab, Severus latched onto the embers of Avery's fear and stoked it to a roaring blaze, causing the teen to pale further and take a stumbling step back. His frame was wracked with trembles, and he began sweating, but he was unable to tear his gaze away from Severus's.
It didn't take long for the other Slytherins to catch on to what was happening, but they held their tongues, not wanting Severus's attention on them just then. They were quickly learning that there were consequences for pushing Severus when he did not want to be pushed – and he often did not want to be pushed.
Severus's lips quirked into the faintest smirk before he broke eye contact with Avery, breaking the emotional manipulation with it. He let his magic settle and curl around him – still palpable in the air around him but non-threatening.
"Encountering a werewolf was the single most terrifying moment of my life," Severus said. "Hence why it is my boggart." He stood, causing Avery to flinch back. "I think I will retire early tonight, good night."
He heard a chorus of good nights as he walked away.
{Furius Draconis}
Avery stalked over to Jugson where he sat on the other side of the common room, still feeling the lingering effects of Snape's magic following him, like a great bloody Nundu breathing down his neck.
"I felt that from over here," Jugson said in greeting, eyeing the pale boy with no small amount of glee over his misfortune of pissing Snape off.
"We have to do something about that fucking Mudblood," Avery snarled, hating the tremor he could hear in his voice.
"I'm glad you agree with me," Jugson said sitting forward. "His boggart showed us that Daughter Black truly is his weakness-"
"We can't touch her, imbecile," Avery cut him off. "I'm not so suicidal to go against House Black, even if it is the lesser branch. You know how Blacks are about Family."
"Fine, fine," Jugson said, flapping his hand as if to wave away Avery's words. "But still, I think we need to exploit that connection somehow. You said it yourself, nothing else we ever did to him seemed to do much to cut him down, at least not for long."
"There has to be some way to get close enough to him," Avery said, pacing in front of Jugson. "Some way past that paranoid bastard's wards."
"Have you approached Heir Black yet?" Jugson asked.
"No," Avery said shortly. "Not yet. That will have to be done carefully. He has taken to calling Snape by his first name lately. They've gotten closer."
Jugson tsked. "That's such a shame. I can't believe how low House Black has fallen."
"They probably do not see it that way," Avery said with a shake of his head. "He's one of the Dark Lord's Chosen. That likely holds weight with House Black."
"What if their parents do not know about this alliance they have?" Jugson said. "We could owl them? Or owl Heir Malfoy - he probably would like to know how close Daughter Black is to Snape. I swear I saw Snape wearing her ribbon a time or two."
Avery was quiet for a moment. "I will owl Heir Malfoy," he said, "and tell him of our observations. He might have access to the Black Library as he is to marry Daughter Black, or he might know of a way to break through wards."
"What are we even going to do to the Mudblood once we break through the wards?" Jugson asked. "What can we do?"
Avery ran his knuckles along his jaw, thinking. "Perhaps there is some potion or spell that can recreate the effects of boggarts?"
"Now that would be ideal," Jugson said, a malicious grin on his face.
lmao told y'all I have no self-control. Thanks again to BurngingRosesAmongstLilies for the help!
Add me on discord if ya want, it's ohgaywarden#9127
