The Summer of 1975
Madam Pomfrey watched with a frown as Snape filled plate after plate with food, and it vanished into his mouth before those around him had taken a single bite of their own breakfast. She thought she'd been very clear when she'd warned Severus against punishing his brother, yet here Seuthes sat as though he hadn't seen food in days.
Tearing her eyes away from the boy, the witch turned to her own cup of coffee, and nearly choked on it when she overheard the conversation playing next to her.
"—stuck my tongue to the top of my mouth, I couldn't talk," Asumptotos was saying, and there was the usual pride in his voice, though for once it didn't appear to be solely for himself. "It needs a bit more practice, but I'm sure we nailed the verbal part, so the rest of it is on you, Filius."
"I can't say I'm not interested. Can't say! I do have a class with him today. We'll see how far we'd have got by dinnertime."
Now, Madam Pomfrey wasn't the prying type, but she couldn't help but listen in when that evening the two men once again sat immediately to her right.
"Well, Filius, how did it go? With Snape, I mean."
Up until now, Poppy had completely forgotten about the boy, what with the upcoming match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and all the fights resulting from it, but now she found herself sweeping her eyes over the Slytherin table until her gaze stopped on the black-haired fourth-year seated by the entrance.
"Did you not tell me this morning you had stopped at 'Tanglock', Numaer?" the tiny Charms Professor asked by way of acknowledging the man's question.
"That's exactly what I told you, my dear Filius! It was actually my suggestion!"
Flitwick dug in his mashed potatoes and turned his face slightly to the left toward the pretending-not-to-listen matron in an attempt to hide the smile dancing on his lips. "In that case," he said nonchalantly, placing a forkful of the food in his mouth and lifting his eyes for the habitual scan of the Ravenclaw table, "You'd be disappointed to learn that Mr Snape showed up at my desk with a completely working spell called 'Langlock'."
Asumptotos sighed dramatically, and rubbed his chin with his pointer finger. "At least I was close. The boy does have talent, he does."
"I only hope he'll use it for the right reasons," sighed Filius, glancing at the Slytherin table where Snape was engrossed in a conversation with Marcus Avery.
Beside him, Poppy nodded her agreement, though she doubted anyone had noticed. She just wished the boys would trust her enough to rely on her instead of those horrid fascists they had for roommates. The conversation next to her moved on to focus on other topics and the healer found her thoughts drifting back to her work.
St Mungo's third floor was filled to the brim with all the poisoning happening around the country, as was the fourth floor that housed patients suffering from spell damage. There was not a single mandrake left in store and her last hope was that Pomona would be willing to lend one to Horace who, in turn, would do himself a favour by following Poppy's instructions, and will prepare the necessary potions that were out of stock in every single apothecary in all of Britain.
Spring was always the time when Pomfrey's schedule was the busiest. And this year was no exception. The House Cup rivalry was in full swing now that the academic year was coming to an end, and on top of that the seventh-years were divided like never before based on their political views. The war that had seemed so insignificant only last year was now raging just outside the door and dare she say, was seeping through the cracks and infiltrating the school. Albus Dumbledore would have to pull up another trick from his sleeve if the wizarding world was to have any hope for a peaceful existence again.
She sighed and pushed her chair away from the table. She had yet to prepare for another sleepless night of fretting over the unconscious body of Remus Lupin.
Seuthes couldn't believe he'd missed it. He was absolutely, one hundred percent sure the full moon was no coincidence. All the clues he and Severus had noticed made perfect sense. The fear, the once a month sneaking-out-of-the-castle-s, the visits to the Hospital Wing, the whole secrecy around the four Gryffindors.
He ignored his housemates' invitation for a game of Exploding Snaps, and slipped instead in his dormitory and straight into the wooden trunk.
"Did you know," he began, pausing for a second when he noticed the piles of food Severus had brought down here in the event that his brother decided to reciprocate. Seuthes, however, didn't pay them more than two seconds of his time before he turned back to his announcement, "that Remus Lupin is a werewolf?"
"What? No, he can't be. Werewolves aren't accepted at Hogwarts."
"Well, one of them appears to have been accepted."
As Fate would have it, fourth-year Slytherins didn't have Potions the next day, so whether Lupin had attended his classes or not remained unknown. Severus did, however, note his suspicious absence at breakfast and lunch, as well as the greenish hue of his skin at supper.
After breakfast the following morning Seuthes sought out Lily Evans. "What are you headed to? Flitwick?"
"Yep, we're finally learning the Scouring Charm. I can't wait! Imagine how much easier housework would be."
Seuthes leaned against one of the pillars as they reached the courtyard. "You forget you're not allowed to use it at home," he smirked and tried to hide his smile when Lily slapped a hand to her forehead at the realisation that she wouldn't actually have use for that spell for a few years yet.
"Well, anyway. Can you do it? You had Charms the other day, didn't you?"
"Yes. And no, I haven't actually tried it yet, though I'm sure you would be able to cast it your first try."
Lily frowned slightly. "Why haven't you tried it? Flitwick said last week that we were going to learn it next week, which means this week."
Seuthes pushed away from the pillar he was leaning against, and joined Lily at the nearby bench. "We were supposed to learn it yesterday. But Mulciber decided to try it on his own and, naturally, it didn't work, so the whole room became flooded."
Lily snorted softly, a sound that soon morphed into giggles as she pictured the situation. "I would've loved to see that!"
"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't have. It was so fricking cold! Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about. Was Lupin in your classes yesterday?"
Once again, the girl knitted her brows in confusion. "He was sick, he stayed at the Hospital Wing is what Potter said. Why?"
"No matter, I was just curious. Tell you in a month, but we'd better get to class now because I have Transfiguration."
He didn't tell her in a month because he'd completely forgotten by then to keep track of the moon's phases. He didn't remember about the mystery around the shabby Gryffindor until he saw him all green and sick-looking on June 24th and by then it was too late to watch him on the day of the full moon, seeing as there wouldn't be another full moon until July 23rd. As a way to set a reminder for next year, he borrowed a book on Dark Creatures from the Library — a book he had already read, but obviously hadn't paid enough attention to — and opted for rereading it before his fourth year came to an end.
A week later Seuthes stepped through the gate leading to Number 2, Spinner's End. The house had never been a picture to look at, but a year ago it was at least possible to make out the pathway leading to the front door. Now, though, what wasn't covered in grass was instead covered in broken whisky bottles. Seuthes glared at the ground for a long second before he made his way to the door, carefully treading around the shattered glass. He knocked on the door, then tried the handle only to find that it was, in fact, locked. No response came, and for a moment the thought that Tobias had left the town crossed the boy's mind. But then he noticed that a light was on on the upper floor, and rapped again on the door.
When that didn't evoke any sort of response either, he picked up a crushed beer can from the ground, and ripped a narrow part of it, which he then rolled up the way one would roll a cigar, and twisted it until at last it resembled a hook. That done, he stepped closer to the insulting barrier between himself and the inside of the house, and picked the lock. It was a trick he'd seen the neighbouring kids use a long time ago. One he'd never thought he'd use in his entire life, until that very moment. He couldn't believe he was saying it, but he was actually thankful to those scumbags.
A rough hand pushed him to his knees, and he stumbled ungracefully to the ground, keeping his eyes on the old floorboards. A low chuckle sounded from the darkness, and the young Slytherin lifted his eyes in time to see the dark ones of his Lord, as the elder man stepped out of the shadows. Travers didn't know how old his master was and he dared not ask, but there were still traces of the handsome features the boy knew him to have possessed in his youth. Dolohov had told him stories of Lord Voldemort's rise, of his power and knowledge, of his immeasurable intelligence and his unmatched will to once and for all rid the world of the filth that had infiltrated their pure bloodlines so. And now he was going to be a part of it all.
"Do not be so harsh with my followers, Antonin. Rise, my child."
The Dark Lord placed a hand on Travers' shoulder, and slowly led him to a sofa he'd seemingly been occupying before he'd been interrupted by his and Dolohov's presence.
"Now, I heard you've had some success with that boy of yours. I believe you called him Snape?"
"Yes, my Lord. His name is Severus Snape."
"Severus Snape," the elder wizard repeated, and leaned back in his chair. With a wave of his hand he summoned a bottle of wine, then filled a glass and offered it to the boy sitting next to him. When Travers took it gratefully, Voldemort filled a glass of his own. "And this Snape boy... Have you seen any improvement?"
Travers had lifted the drink to his lips, but immediately brought it down, as he tried to respond as fast as he could. "I believe so, sir. He has started hanging out with people I believe would also like to join the cause. Avery and Rosier, sometimes Mulciber. And Rabastan Lestrange, wasn't his brother in your ranks?"
Voldemort's eyes narrowed momentarily, but he schooled his features and replaced the frown with a friendly smile. "That is not for you to know yet, Yan. You will learn with time what is necessary. For now, we shall focus on your task. You need to convince me that the boy is worth the trouble. Now that you will no longer be at Hogwarts, I will need to assign someone else to lure him to our side and I need to know that I am not wasting my resources. What has he to offer?"
Travers set his glass on the side table, and folded his hands in his lap. "My Lord," he began nervously, then lifted his gaze with new determination. "I think... I think he may have invented a spell."
"Invented? Or merely read in a book you haven't come across?"
The boy dropped his eyes back to his fidgeting hands. "I cannot say. But it was a spell I'd never heard of before. Langlock."
This time a sincere smile spread across Voldemort's lips. "You may be right, my servant. How old is the boy?"
"Fifteen, my Lord."
"In that case, we shall keep a close eye on him in the upcoming year. You have done well, Yan. And what of Dumbledore, have you seen much of him at the castle?"
"No, sir. He hasn't even been at most of the meals for the last couple of months, and I think he's been away from Hogwarts most of the time."
"Think? Were you not told to keep track of him?"
Travers winced as the cold stare of his master fixed on his person. "I- I'm sorry, my Lord," he stammered.
"And you should be. But it is in the past now. Let us look forward and assign you a new task. I shall think it is time for you to join our frontlines on our trip to Diagon Alley."
As Seuthes had assumed, Tobias hadn't left the town. He'd found a temporary job as a logger in a nearby village and was somehow managing to scrape enough money to waste on booze. That meant that late at night he could be found unconscious in odd places all around the house, and currently that was in the doorway leading to his bedroom. Seuthes wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stepped over him, and entered the bathroom that was in reality a rusty sink over a plastic basin.
Severus, meanwhile, was organising the food he'd brought from Hogwarts in the kitchen cupboards downstairs. It had seemed a ton when it had been stacked on the desk and floor inside the trunk, but now that he was looking at it, it was barely going to be enough for more than a few days. As he came to that conclusion, Severus sighed deeply, and leaned against the wall. After a few seconds, though, he headed upstairs, and dropped into the bed where his brother was already sound asleep. Unlike last year, there wasn't enough room for them both. And so, Severus, half lying on the floor, let out a long breath and closed his eyes. He hadn't missed this place at all.
When he woke up the next morning, he was greeted by the sight of his father sprawled on the floor — something he had somehow missed the previous night. He glanced between the boards covering the missing corridor window. The sun was already high above the horizon and Severus was certain today was a Tuesday. Not so gently, he nudged his father's torso with his foot. The man only grunted, still half-asleep, and turned to his other side, but that caused his head to meet the doorframe, and he sprang to his feet. Two heavy hands came upward to clutch not his forehead where he'd hit the frame, but his temples. Shaking his head, the wizard stepped back inside his room to retrieve a Hangover Potion he'd prepared for this exact reason.
"What the hell are y' doing here, boy! What the hell did y' just give me!"
Severus swiftly stepped backwards to escape close contact with his father's contorted face. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" he asked calmly.
"Fuck!" Tobias cursed, and kicked the wall, which only caused him to curse again, when pain shot through his leg. Without a further word, the man made his way downstairs, grabbed a toast Severus had prepared for himself, and left the house. At the gate, he stopped abruptly, and turned back to his son. "You better find somethin' t' do, cuz I ain't feeding either of y'."
After a heated debate with the man that night, the twins came to the same conclusion. The muggle could not be trusted to keep them alive, so they needed to do it themselves.
"How do I even find a job?" Seuthes groaned from the floor. They'd brought a couple of blankets and placed them on the floor next to the mattress so that neither of them would have to sleep on the ground.
"I have no idea," mumbled Severus, and let himself be lulled to sleep. Finding a workplace would be Sev's job tomorrow.
On the fourth day — after three days of fruitless searching —, early in the morning a knock sounded at the door, causing Seuthes to scramble to his feet and struggle to get to the crevice, where he had to fold himself in half in order to fit properly.
Severus peeked through the curtain of the front window. The intruder was a woman he'd never seen before.
"Yes?"
"I'm looking for... Severus Snape?"
Severus nodded, and opened the door wider.
"I heard you were looking for a job. We could do with some help in the hospital. Moving the crates with equipment and what not. Are you interested?"
"When can I start?"
It turned out he could start on Monday, so on Monday Severus waited for his father to go out for work before going through his wardrobe to find something at least somewhat suitable for his first day at the hospital.
It could hardly be called a hospital, more a building with a single surgeon and a couple of nurses. However, seeing as it was the only such place in the region as of April when the actual proper hospital in the nearby Lumbersgold town had burnt down, people from near and far were coming in with their problems. Severus had signed up for moving things around, but he was soon assigned to keep track of the queue and send away anyone who didn't need anything more than a cup of hot tea.
As could be expected when there was a single medic in the vicinity, things were moving very slowly, and in the more minor cases it was the nurses who took care of the patients. Soon enough, Snape too got the hang of it, and after switching some of the syringes for vials of Wound-Cleaning Potion and Murtlap Essence, patients became miraculously reduced in number. All in all, the work helped him get accustomed to wounds, cuts, and bruises even more than he'd already been. He actually quite liked the praises he got from the nurses for a job well done.
On odd days when Seuthes stayed at home, he busied himself with learning Latin. He was surprised to find how similar some of the words were to English ones, though the different genders and grammatical cases were undoubtedly giving him a challenge. He found it interesting, though, and was fairly certain that it was going to prove a useful skill if he were to pursue a line of spell invention. Undoubtedly it would also be easier to learn pre-existing charms if he could connect the incantation to its meaning.
Severus, on the other hand, found reading to be a much more pleasant way to spend his free time. After his shift at the hospital would end, he would make his way to the local library, and look for something that might pick his interest. He was specifically interested in some books that dealt with chemistry and biology, but if a crime fiction happened to catch his eye, then that was what he would take home.
But on July 21st it was neither a science, nor a fiction book that grabbed his attention. It was a simple muggle newspaper he must have walked by at least three or four times by now, for the day at the top of the front page clearly stated July 9th, 1975. He picked it up to look more closely at the picture that had actually prompted him to take a look at the paper. It was a photo of a burnt down building, and the place looked oddly familiar. It didn't come to him, though, until he read the article below, and realised the location was that of the Leaky Cauldron. Several eyewitnesses had claimed that the clouds above the building had formed a perfect human skull as if to mark the deaths of the three people that had been inside when something in the kitchen had exploded. The details had not yet been clear at the time of publication that day.
Two weeks before the start of term, an owl came hooting through the window, and sat there for a whole of thirty minutes for a treat that never came. It had brought the usual letter that informed the students of the materials they'd need to purchase before the school year. Snape scanned the list, noting each of the books his mother had left him. He knew, however, that she had dropped Arithmancy after her third year and while last year the books Asumptotos had assigned them were ones Snape had seen in the Library, this year they were not.
"How are we on Potions supplies?" asked Seuthes, moving his eyes down the list.
"Uhh... Let me check. I think we may have run out of vials with these potions for the hospital."
Arithmancy and Potions. The rest of the things were all accounted for with the exception of a school robe. The twins had grown by at least two or three inches since last year, not to mention they'd been wearing the same one for four years. The robe was on the side, though, essential supplies came first and though they weren't sure they could properly transfigure the piece of clothing to the needed size themselves, they could always ask someone else to do it for them. The Slytherins were out of the question, so it would preferably have to be Lily or, Merlin forbid, Madam Pomfrey.
On the last Monday of August Severus Snape took the train to London. As he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron (he managed to find it on the third or fourth try, he hadn't been here for a very long time) he noted the tall figures wrapped in red that sat around the tables. He didn't think he'd ever seen an Auror before, let alone a dozen. Something very strange was happening.
Finding the books was easy enough, but there was no way in hell he was going to set foot in Potter's Potent 'Pothecary. So instead of continuing down the street after his stop at Flourish and Blotts Severus took a right turn toward Knockturn Alley, and ran head first into Lucius Malfoy and his girlfriend Narcissa Black. He hadn't seen the blond boy in more than three years and was surprised to see how grown he looked. His hair had become longer, but was carefully styled around his shoulders. He was carrying posh green robes covered in all kinds of black and silver ornaments, and was leaning against one of those canes usually associated with aristocrats, as he looked at one of the dark shop windows.
On her part, Narcissa hadn't changed much, though it had admittedly been only a year since she'd left Hogwarts. It was weird, however, to see her dressed in something so elegant, a stark contrast to the everyday school robe Severus was used to seeing her in.
"If this is not our little Snape friend," Malfoy smirked, as he looked down his nose at the boy that had just bumped into him. "You know, we've heard of you this past year, haven't we Narcissa?"
The girl smiled at the older boy, but released his hand, and wordlessly stepped closer to the showcase, feigning interest in something behind it.
"Narcissa has told me about your Potions, Snape. You might have a bright future after all. And what is this I hear about a duelling club?"
Severus frowned in confusion. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"My, my, Severus. You mustn't be so humble. Besting Travers — that is a feat not many can claim to have achieved."
The younger boy didn't respond, and shied away from Malfoy's touch, when the blond tried to place a hand on his shoulder.
"I have a request to make of you, Snape. I'd like to take you to the Hog's Head for a cup of tea one of those Hogsmeade weekends, hm?"
"I never go to Hogsmeade," said Severus curtly, looking up at the other boy with suspicion.
"Make an exception for me, will you? The bill shall be on me. I was just hoping I would get to know you a little better."
There were a couple of reasons why Snape never went to Hogsmeade, one of which (not wanting to broadcast his poor finances) Malfoy had just discarded. The other reason was Tobias. Severus needed a written approval from a parent or guardian if he wanted to be allowed to set foot anywhere outside of Hogwarts grounds. Up until now he hadn't seen much reason to go through the hassle of convincing his father to sign anything that had to do with his magical school. Now, however, when despite his protests Malfoy had gone through the trouble of purchasing him a pair of Slytherin robes as well as a casual fit 'for his Hogsmeade trip', he felt practically compelled to at least give it a try.
Dressed in a silk black robe with green and silver linings, on September 1st Severus Snape boarded the Hogwarts Express, proudly gripping a piece of paper with his father's signature in the bottom right corner.