Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Harry Potter; maybe the made-up spells. It looks like a lot of you want Severus and the girls to become Animagus / Animagi. What animals do you think match each character? And what corporeal Patronus should they have?

Chapter Eighteen: Slytherin Hierarchy

Walking into the Great Hall at lunchtime on Monday, September 13th Severus was greeted with lightning crashing and thunderous rain pelting down. He had no idea how any of the owls had made it through such horrific weather.

Looking over the sea of students Severus was happy when he spotted Petunia's blond head sitting at the Ravenclaw table, unfortunately, surrounded by her giggling group of girls.

'Happy Birthday,' called Severus trying not to wince too badly when her friends all cooed at him as he presented Petunia with her present

Upon opening up her gift carefully, Petunia caught sight of the perfume bottle and let out a happy squeal. 'I love it! Thank you, Sev!'

Severus thought back over the week that led up to today, feeling somewhat relieved that Petunia liked her present, he happily made his way over to the Slytherin table to finally have something to eat.

It had all started on Friday the 10th of September as Severus racked his brain about how he would gather the remaining ingredients needed for the shrinking solution without Lily figuring out what he was up to.

Considering she was the second best at potions, Lily would probably guess what he was brewing just from the seaweed, newt's tail, daisies, leeches and caterpillars that he would need to collect.

He figured the only way to disguise what he was brewing was to collect a decent supply of several different ingredients under the guise of stocking up his potions lab, essentially stirring two potions with one ladle. Wondering if Petunia would also be interested in helping out, Severus finished his breakfast and made his way over to the Ravenclaw table.

'Good morning Petunia. I was wondering if you would like to join Lily and me on a hunt for Potions ingredients?' Severus asked

'Aww isn't he adorable' one of Petunia's friends cooed as Severus tried not to blush under the scrutiny of female eyes.

'He's also a genius when it comes to potions. Severus is going to become the youngest Potions Master in wizarding history. I guarantee it! Petunia boasted smirking smugly with a knowing look in her eye as Severus felt himself go bright red '… And yes Sev I'd love to help collect ingredients.'

Petunia's friends giggled incessantly as she removed herself from the Ravenclaw table and walked with him over to Lily at the Gryffindor table. The table was relatively bare thanks to the early hour and the propensity of Gryffindors to sleep in on the weekend nevertheless Severus was glad when Petunia leaned down and spoke softly to Lily.

'We are going on a potions ingredient hunt. Do you want to join?'

'Ooh, we could gather many ingredients from the castle grounds.' Lily jumped up beaming from the table. 'Like Aconite better known as monkshood or wolfsbane, but its leaves are very toxic and I don't have my dragon hide gloves. Or we could get Cowbane, along with Hemlock from the greenhouse as long as Professor Sprout doesn't catch us raiding. Dandelions, Daisies, fluxweed and knotgrass should be easy enough to get, along with any other wildflowers.'

'I wouldn't mind getting some animal ingredients along with the plants.' Severus mentioned hoping he wasn't being too obvious

'We could ask the gamekeeper, Hagrid!' Petunia suggested 'He often collects potion ingredients for Professor Slughorn. I'm sure if we asked nicely he would collect some things from the Forbidden Forest like unicorn tail hair and Wiggentree bark'

The daisies were the easiest to find as they grew in abundance across the expansive gardens at Hogwarts, Severus, Lily and Petunia plucked a few flowers from the ground along with Dandelions, Sage, Peppermint, Lavender, Lovage, Honeysuckle, Marigolds and Primrose. He even managed to collect the flower namesakes of the girls. Petunias, Lilys, a few Roses and even Tansy. Storing them away in sealed jars using a stasis charm his mother had taught him; nova copia.

'Oi, you lot! What are yeh doin'?' A giant of a man came ambling towards them, wearing a long moleskin overcoat with rabbit fur gloves and enormous beaver skin boots. His face was almost entirely hidden by a long shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard.

'Good morning Mr Hagrid' Lily beamed 'My sister Petunia has said such wonderful things about you.'

'Call me Hagrid.' The man grinned. His eyes, like black beetles, were crinkled in a smile.

'We were just collecting a few ingredients for the best potion master in our year.' Lily threw her arm around him as he shifted uncomfortably at the praise.

'As long as all of yeh keep away from the forest, an' yeh don't go stealin' from the Greenhouses, I suppose there's no harm in collectin' a few things from the grounds. I do the same thing fer Professor Slughorn'

'Hagrid? Can you gather some potion ingredients from the forest for Severus?' Petunia asked

'I can't see the harm in that. Nothin' too dangerous mind you, yeh only just started Hogwarts'

Severus retrieved the list of ingredients and wrote down a few more he could use if Hagrid could get them;

1 Asphodel;

2 Caterpillars;

3 Dittany;

4 Ginger Root;

5 Horklump juice;

6 Horned slugs;

7 Leeches;

8 Newt's tail;

9 Wiggentree bark

10 Wormwood.

'Blimy yer a bit keen, ain't yeh.' Hagrid exclaimed after reading the list. 'I'll see what I can do fer yeh.'

'Thank you.' Severus was glad to have a man like Hagid on their side who could go into the forest and survive whatever monstrosities resided within it.

Severus was having such a great time learning all about the various ingredients that grew wild around Hogwarts that he and Lily had forgotten all about going to potions until the bell rang to signal the start of class.

'POTION'S CLASS!' Lily's panicked stricken voice rang out across the garden.

Severus' head jerked up from where he had been collecting some Anjelica and saw Lily bolting towards him, grabbing his hand she hauled him to his feet as they took off towards the castle hand in hand and up the stone steps. Through the entrance and down along the potions corridor they raced bursting into the potions classroom five minutes late.

'Miss Evans, Mr Snape you are five minutes late' Professor Slughorn tutted 'I hope you at least have some explanation as to why you two are late?'

"We're so sorry Professor Slughorn. We were caught up with my sister Petunia helping to collect Potion ingredients for Severus and we lost track of time, ' Lily explained.

'As much as I applaud you for collecting your own ingredients. I'm afraid I will have to take away five points from Gryffindor and Slytherin for your delay.' Professor Slughorn sighed, regretful that he had to take points away from either of them.

'It was my idea to collect the ingredients.' Severus couldn't help pointing it out, feeling guilty that Lily had lost points because of him.

'Be that as it may Mr Snape, the loss of points still stands. You two may however share a workstation for this lesson since everyone else has been paired up … I do hope there will be no more coming late to class?' Professor Slughorn chided lightly

'Of course not Professor.' Lily beamed walking hand in hand with him towards a spare table that Severus was glad to see was some distance away from Potter who was glaring at him with hatred in his eyes.

Now that we are all here we shall once again be attempting to brew the Boil Cure Potion.

Cure for Boils

Ingredients;

5 oz Water

Dried Nettles

6 Snake Fangs

4 Horned Slugs

2 Porcupine Quills

Brewing instructions;

1 Add water to the cauldron

2 Add 6 Snake Fangs to the mortar and crush into a fine powder using the pestle.

3 Add 4 measures of the crushed Fangs to your cauldron

4 Add 2 pinches of Dried Nettles and heat the mixture to 250℃ for 10 seconds.

5 Add 4 Horned Slugs to your cauldron.

6 Leave to brew for 33-45 minutes.

7 Take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient.

8 Add 2 Porcupine Quills to your cauldron and stir 5 times clockwise.

9 Wave your wand to complete the potion.

Severus set his caudron onto the workbench and filled it with water keeping one eye on Lily as he retrieved his mortar and pestle and started to crush the snake fangs into a fine powder.

'You need to be precise with your measurements Mr Black! You can't just throw in however much you want with such reckless abandonment.' Professor Slughorn scolded as he vanished Black's potion with a wave of his wand.

Severus smirked happily as he sprinkled four measures of the crushed Fangs into his cauldron and then two pinches of Dried Nettles.

Once that was done Severus ignited a fire underneath the potion and placed his floating glass thermometer into the cauldron

'I'll wash up your mortar and pestle along with mine.' Severus offered as the mixture heated up.

'Thanks, Sev!' Lily beamed ' I'll keep an eye on our potions

Hurrying over to the stone basin in the corner of the classroom, Severus cleaned his and Lily's mortar and pestle under the icy jet of water pouring from the gargoyle's mouth. When Severus got back to his cauldron he was glad to see that Potter had not sabotaged the potion which had been Severus' intention when he had offered to wash their equipment.

Severus set down his and Lily's mortar and pestle on the workbench and added four Horned Slugs to the cauldron leaving it to brew for forty minutes.

'I do wonder if Professor Sughorn will let us try something more complicated than these First-year potions once he sees how capable we are.' Lily sighed as they watched the potions simmering away.

'We could always use my lab if Professor Slughorn keeps us at this slow pace. As long as we don't blow ourselves up I doubt we would get caught using it.' Severus suggested

'I'd rather not get myself blown up, thank you very much. Honestly Sev you shouldn't blatantly disregard the rules so much! You'll never get chosen to be a Prefect if you're caught.' Lily scolded quietly

Severus snorted in disgust, 'I have absolutely no desire to become a Prefect.'

'Come on Sev!' Lily whined 'Prefects help guide the first-years to their dormitories on their first day of school and supervise the decorating of the castle for events. They also get to patrol the Hogwarts hallways after curfew. Mainly to ensure that other students are not breaking it but still, they get to stay up later than everyone else! Professor McGonagall also told me that there is also an exclusive bathroom with a large, pool-like bath on the fifth floor of Hogwarts."

Thankfully Severus was saved from Lily's wheedling by the potion being ready for the next step.

Taking the cauldron off the fire Severus added the two Porcupine Quills to the cauldron and stirred the potion five times clockwise.

'Remember everyone! To complete your potion, wave your wand in a circular motion above your cauldron and say the incantation Potio Completum' Professor Slughorn called across the room. This is what made a potion magical, without this spell, no potion could be properly made.

Pointing his wand at the cauldron Severus took a deep breath.

'Potio Completum.' Severus commanded and a white light, similar in appearance to lightning struck the surface of the potion completing the brew.

'Time's ... UP!' called Slughorn genially. 'Well, let's see how you've done!' As Slughorn slowly moved around the room examining the various potions, Severus felt proud that his and Lily's completed concoctions looked to be the best out of everyone, especially since more than one student seemed to have black smoke billowing out of their cauldrons.

'Wonderful … Wonderful! ' called Slughorn genially beaming at the potions produced by Potter and Black. 'You two have earned five points each for Gryffindor'

He sniffed Lupin's potion with a disappointed expression and moved on to Pettigrew's with a grimace. He did not linger over Pettigrew's cauldron, but backed away swiftly, retching slightly from the putrid fumes issuing from Pettigrew's cauldron.

Finally, Slughorn reached their table at last and beamed down at their potions looking from Lily to Severus.

'Well done! Miss Evans and Mr Snape. Well done! Five points each for Gryffindor and Slytherin' Slughorn beamed.

As they emerged from the dungeons making their way to lunch after Potions class, Severus was slightly disappointed that he hadn't actually won any points for Slytherin because of the points lost for coming late.

Friday after lunch had been spent collecting some of the ingredients he had dropped from Petunia and storing it all in the potions room.

On Saturday the 11th as the owls flooded into the Great Hall, Severus' attention was caught by a large parcel wrapped in brown paper and twine carried by one large screech owl. Having some idea what the parcel was, Severus waited impatiently until the owl soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. The owl had hardly fluttered out of the way when E.B.O. dropped three letters on top of the parcel.

Severus ripped open his letters first so he wouldn't forget to read them when he got absorbed in his potion brewing. The first letter was from Mr and Mrs Evans;

Dear Severus,

Thank goodness you were able to be patched up quickly by Madam Pomfrey. We are sorry to hear that you were put in harm's way by immature boys, I hope the teacher punished them appropriately. Please inform a teacher if they keep going after you, or are there any spells you can use to protect yourself? Please let us know if there is anything that we can do.

I know you just started Hogwarts but you are more than welcome to join us for Christmas. We open presents after breakfast and have a big family lunch together. There will be more than enough food for you and we have organised space for you to sleep so you can spend the entire holiday with us if you like.

Thank you so much for the timetable you sent us.

Take care, Richard and Hyacinth Evans

~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~

The second letter was from Rose;

To Sev,

That sounds amazing Sev, I can't wait until I'm old enough to join you, Lily and Petunia in exploring Hogwarts.

I'm excited to see what house I get placed in. I just hope everyone in my house is as nice and sweet as you and I won't have any bullies going after me.

Tansy and I are very careful when practising the spells you suggested since we shouldn't be doing magic before we come to Hogwarts.

Is The Great Hall really grand and majestic ? Who are the teachers in charge of each house? Are they nice or mean?

Please tell me everything!

Love from Rose

~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~

The last letter was from Tansy;

To Sev,

If you have a reputation for being a potion genius I hope you will be able to get away with using a potion to get back at those mean boys. Make sure you're extra sneaky with how you get them to take it.

Thank you for the spell suggestions, Daddy has also said that if someone steals my wand so I can't do any spells to defend myself, I should kick them in the shin to make them drop my wand so I can get it back.

I would like to have a class I'm great at like you are with Potions. Maybe something like Care of Magical Creatures or Ancient Runes. It's a shame I'd have to wait until I'm a 3rd year.

I hope you come to our house for Christmas Mum and Daddy said they would be inviting you.

Love from Tansy

Putting the letters safely away in his pocket he turned his attention to the parcel, the tag read: To Mr Severus Snape, From Slug & Jiggers Apothecary

Severus grinned in happiness, he hadn't expected his ingredients to be delivered so quickly. Tucking the parcel into the pocket of his robe he hurried out of the Great Hall making his way down the corridor completely forgetting that he had planned to spend the weekend with Petunia and Lily.

Hearing two sets of footsteps he looked over his shoulder preparing for Potter and Black to be following him, he whipped his wand out and swirled around, only to see Petunia and Lily coming out of the Great Hall.

'Did you forget about us?' Petunia asked smirking

'What have you got there Sev? Did your mother send you something?' Lily asked sweetly with curiosity burning in her innocent emerald eyes.

'Err -' Sev stumbled, lying to Lily was practically impossible when she was giving him that look. '- It's nothing from my mother, it's just something that I ordered'

'Ooh! Can I see? … Please?' Lily begged

'Errr… It's a surprise?' Severus could feel himself giving in as he gazed into her emerald green eyes;

'Aww, you're not keeping secrets from me are you Sev?' Lily reached for the parcel that Severus had almost gotten out of his pocket while looking up at him with her puppy dog eyes. He was just about to hand the parcel over to Lily when he was jerked out of his stupor by Petunia.

'Lily Jade Evans!' Petunia huffed, her hands firmly on her hips as she looked sternly at Lily 'Mother and Father taught us better than to go sticking our noses into other people's personal belongings!'

'I was just curious' Lily warbled turning tear-stained eyes toward Petunia, who seemed immune to them

'Don't start with the waterworks' Petunia rolled her eyes looking impatient 'What if Severus' surprise parcel has something to do with my birthday present? Were you just going to rip it open and ruin whatever he has planned?'

'Oh, I didn't realise!' Lily turned back to Severus, regret shining in her eyes 'Does it have something to do with Petunia's birthday present?' she asked while Petunia nodded her head behind Lily.

'Yes, it has something to do with Petunia's present.' Severus was grateful that Petunia had supplied him with a reasonable explanation for what was in his parcel. 'The surprise would be ruined if you opened the parcel in front of her.'

'Can't you just tell me what it is?' Lily begged 'I love surprises!'

'Honestly Lily, you have never been able to keep a secret. The last time I told you something secret, you ended up telling everyone what it was!' Petunia argued

'Oh alright, I just can't help being curious.' Lily pouted

'Curiosity killed the cat?' Petunia quipped

'Yes, but satisfaction brought it back. So Ner!' Lily petulantly stuck her tongue out at Petunia

'I need to get everything ready for Monday'. Severus shook his head, unsure if he would ever understand girls.

'We will be sitting out by the lake. You'll meet up with us when you've finished right? You did promise to spend the weekend with us.' Lily pleaded.

'Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long then I'll meet up with you two at the lake.' Severus reassured Lily with a smile.

Bidding Petunia and Lily farewell he entered the Slytherin dungeons, having spent years growing up in a household where he had to hide within the dark and dank recesses of his home to avoid his father's wrath, Severus was adept at darting from one shadow to the next.

The flickering torches adorning the castle walls aided in his task, taking twists and turns throughout the labyrinth. Skulking down a shortcut disguised as a dead end to ensure that no one had followed him, Severus crept into his brewing room locking the door behind him.

Grabbing his copy of Advanced Potion-Making along with all the ingredients from the various empty bookshelves that he had found buried in the room under a pile of dust and rubble, Severus walked over to the area he had set up with his cauldron and opened the back of the book.

There, scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in small cramped handwriting were the words; This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.

He still remembered the day he wrote that; he had been five years old and hiding from his father in the attic during one of his parents' more violent arguments. He had stumbled across his mother's Hogwarts trunk when he flinched at the noise of his mother's scream and the loud crash of something breaking downstairs. Vowing then and there to be nothing like his father, he chose instead to become a Prince worthy of his mother's family and reached into his mother's trunk pulling out the first book he found.

Now knowing what it was like to be accepted without any strings attached his greatest ambition was to make his Grandparents regret abandoning his mother in her time of need and their unwillingness to accept a half-blood into their family.

Flipping through the book he got to the page where he had written out his version of the Shrinking Solution he set the open book onto a bookstand and began to prepare the ingredients he needed for the potion;

After shredding the four daisy roots by hand he placed them into a bowl on one side of the cauldron

Picking out one of the freshwater leeches from his collection jar with tongs, Severus placed it into his mortar, crushing it vigorously with the pestle and storing the juice in a glass dropper bottle.

Cleaning his mortar and pestle with a 'Scourgify' he placed in a few strands of dry seaweed, ground them into a powder, and placed them into a bowl alongside the rest of the ingredients.

After measuring eight fluid ounces of water, Severus transferred it from the beaker into his cauldron.

'Incendio' Severus lit a small fire underneath his cauldron; while the water was heating up he finely sliced five caterpillars on the now clean table adding them to the water

He watched the potion intently as he picked up a Shrivelfig and began shaking it, waiting for the potion to turn red. After the potion had turned red Severus placed the Shrivelfig on the table.

Severus sprinkled the shredded daisy roots into the potion watching as it slowly bubbled and turned yellow

Picking up the bowl of ground seaweed he had placed on the table, he sprinkled small amounts into the cauldron until it turned turquoise.

Taking hold of the Shrivelfig Severus carefully peeled it with his potions knife, and added it to the brew.

After the potion had turned purple he added four rat spleens and watched it turn green

Holding the dropper of leech juice over the caudron Severus precisely added five drops until the potion turned pink.

Gently picking up the newt's tail with his tongs, Severus held the tail in the potion, monitoring it closely and then quickly pulling it back out when the potion turned acid green.

'Reducio' Severus cast The Shrinking Charm hoping it worked and then Extinguished the fire underneath the cauldron with 'Aguamenti' The Water-Making Spell. Leaving the potion to cool Severus cleaned up his workstation and stored away his leftover ingredients.

Severus pulled out his homework to work on with nothing else to do while contemplating what he could make for Petunia's birthday. Thinking of all the flowers Severus had picked as well as the daisies, he decided to brew up a simple water-based wildflower perfume.

It took about ten minutes for the Shrinking Solution to cool down completely, Severus then painstakingly spooned it into a jar making sure he didn't spill any of it accidentally.

Sealing the jar with a lid and a stasis charm Severus wrote down a quick label for it and placed it on the shelf closest to the door.

Cleaning the cauldron thoroughly Severus started making Petunia's perfume.

He first picked off all the petals and pollen from the honeysuckle and placed them into his mortar, using his pestle he crushed them to release their fragrance, and emptied the whole lot into his cauldron. He repeated the process with the Marigold, Petunia and Primrose.

Pouring eight ounces of water into the mix Severus lit a small fire beneath bringing the water to a gentle simmer for about two hours leaching out the oils from the flowers while keeping an eye on the cauldron to ensure the water never boiled.

After all the petals had lost their colour he extinguished the fire to let the whole lot cool down. He drained out the liquid into a measuring cup through a cheesecloth to separate solids and liquids then transferred the completed perfume into a small spray bottle since the water had reduced while simmering. Reusing the brown paper that his package came in he wrapped the perfume up with a card that read;

Happy Birthday, Petunia

This perfume will last about a month if stored in a cool, dark place. I hope that you like it.

Love Sev

Using the Scouring Charm he cleaned up everything and packed everything away again. Noticing that it was midday after he checked the time on his pocket watch, Severus rushed out of the lab and made his way to the dormitory. Quickly packing everything away carefully in his trunk he scampered off to lunch.

After a quick lunch with Petunia and Lily, all three headed outside to relax on the grass since it was an unusually nice day. Laying down Severus and the girls enjoyed a peaceful afternoon resting while cloud gazing.

Severus was hunched over his plate squinting in the bright and clear light of dawn finishing off his breakfast when Petunia and Lily, who looked far too cheerful for a Sunday morning joined him at the Slytherin table.

'Hey Sev? Could you help me with my Potions Homework? It's my worst subject.' Petunia pleaded

'Oh! and me with my D.A.D.A Homework?' Lily chimed in

'Sure.' Severus answered 'While we are there I can use that time to write back to your parents as well as Rose and Tansy.'

Severus, Lily, and Petunia headed up to the library, to work on their homework assignments together. Grabbing a table they spread out their books and parchment.

Severus was working with Petunia on her Potions essay on Lavender. 'What you have isn't bad but here you could put Lavender not only smells lovely but has a variety of practical uses, including as an insect repellent. Professor Slughorn always appreciates the extra little flourishes.

'Here you can add in the scientific name of the plant Lavandula is derived from the Latin word lavar for "to wash" because the ancient Greeks washed themselves with Lavender oil to clean themselves and to smell fresh.

'Oh, and I would also add a little background knowledge here. Lavender is sometimes put in medicine too, to prevent infection Lavender oil was used in World War 1 to disinfect walls and floors of the hospital.

'And one last bit to round it all out you could say that even non-magical people use Lavender oil to alleviate headaches by rubbing a bit on their temple. They can even drink Lavender tea to relax before bedtime.' Severus explained while Lily was trying to finish her History of Magic essay.

'How on earth do you know all that?' Lily piped up 'I know I love Potions as much as you do and Mum and Daddy are obsessed with flowers, but even I didn't know all that! All I knew was that it is used in the Sleeping Draught, the Fire-Breathing Potion, the Calming Draught and the Potion for Dreamless Sleep.'

'My mother taught me a lot whenever she wasn't at work and I borrowed a lot of books from the primary school library to keep myself occupied and out of my father's way.' Severus could see that his comment upset the girls somehow so he made a self-deprecating joke to lighten the mood. 'Or perhaps I'm just an insufferable know-it-all.' Severus quipped causing the girls to giggle. Petunia moved on to Transfiguration while Lily stuffed her History of Magic essay into her bag.

'That's Potions for Petunia done! And the History of Magic essay is as good as I can get it. So can we start on my D.A.D.A. homework now Sev? Or did you want to write your letters first? Lily asked.

'I'm happy to work on the D.A.D.A. homework. I just need a little more to finish off mine.' Digging through his bag Severus laid his half-finished essay on the table.

Gnomes; Friend or Foe? Explain by Severus Snape

The gnome is a common garden pest more of a foe than a friend to the Wizarding community here is my reason why;

A gnome, or garden gnome, is a small magical beast commonly known to infest the gardens of wizarding households. The correct taxonomic name for gnomes was, allegedly, Gernumbli gardensi; they were sometimes referred to as Gernumblies. They were found throughout northern Europe and North America.

Nature;

Gnomes can reach a size of approximately one foot, making them smaller than Erklings. They are usually brown and have disproportionately large heads, making them look like potatoes with legs. Although not dangerous creatures, they possessed razor-sharp teeth and tended to bite if provoked.

Their feet are hard and bony, and they do not look anything like the garden gnome lawn decorations used by non-magical people, those tend to look like little Father Christmases with fishing rods.

Ecology;

Gnomes live in burrows underground, known as gnome holes, where they dig up and eat the roots of plants causing considerable damage to them and creating little heaps of earth around gardens similar to moles. Gnomes prefer to live in wizarding gardens over Muggle gardens, and may run out and attempt to trip the unwary travellers near the garden they claimed.

Gnomes also seem to like worms and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. The natural predator of the gnome was the Jarvey, a magical beast resembling an overgrown ferret.

Interaction with humans;

Because of the havoc they wreak upon gardens and the fact that they are a giveaway of a wizarding home, gnomes are deemed pests by the wizarding community. The gnome can be expelled from the garden by taking hold of the gnomes, swinging them in circles until dizzy and then throwing them beyond the yard's perimeter fence or wall. This is called de-gnoming.

Gnomes have the ability to speak, or at least make noises, squealing "Gerroff me!" when caught and are also able to scream when thrown away. However, they often laughed when a de-gnoming was not done properly.

Interestingly, the species have such a low level of intelligence that when someone goes out to de-gnome their garden the Gnome would hurry out of their burrows to see what's causing the commotion, which only rendered them easier to catch.

Alternatively, one could use a Jarvey to de-gnome a garden, but this method is considered much too violent and thus seldom used (Jarvey's prey upon gnomes).

Glancing over at Lily's essay Severus saw that she was leaning towards the Friend side of the debate rather them the Foe

'Here! You can write that wizards shouldn't feel sorry for Gnomes. If you don't make them dizzy and just drop them over the property line then the Gnome, sensing weakness, will most likely sink its razor-sharp teeth into your hand causing you to have a hard job shaking the Gnome off..' Severus suggested

'That's not very friendly Sev!' Lily scolded

'Alright, then you could write about Gnomes from a more non-magical point of view, how about; In non-magical European folklore Gnomes are a class of legendary creatures, often depicted by non-magical people as small, bearded men wearing pointed hats. Gnomes are also said to live underground in caves and other hidden places. They are associated with the earth and are capable of moving through it as easily as humans move atop it.

In old Muggle legends, they were miners who lived underground, but today they are often associated with gardens and are popular garden decorations. Gnomes are generally considered by non-magical people to be benevolent creatures that bring good luck to those who have them in their gardens.'

'Oh, and Hagrid said Gnomes love to eat nuts, berries, fruit, mushrooms, and vegetables of all kinds. As a treat, they like to drink fermented raspberry juice, spiced gin, and fermented honey, which is also known as mead dew. And that they are nocturnal in nature and are rarely seen during the daytime.' Petunia piped up

'Thanks, I think I have more than enough for my essay now.' Lily beamed, finishing off her essay with a flourish.

Placing his finished essay neatly into his bookbag Severus took out three pieces of parchment and laid them all flat on the table. Dipping his eagle-feather quill into the inkwell he began to write;

Dear Mr and Mrs Evans,

Thank you both for your kind words and support.

I have managed to find quite a few spells and charms to protect myself; The Shield Charm (Protego), a complicated spell but I am determined to learn it as well as the Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) a charm that causes the target to collapse with laughter and the Dancing Feet Spell (Tarantallegra) a spell that makes a target's legs spasm wildly out of control.

Madam Pomfry, the school nurse is quite remarkable. To be able to diagnose and cure all the students' ailments and mishaps that they get themselves into requires quite a bit of training and knowledge to know the correct Spell or Potion to administer.

Potions for me are a little basic but I suppose the teacher has to cater to those who haven't learned Potions from a young age. Professor Slughorn, the Potions teacher, is quite ecstatic with the quality of the Potions Lily and I are producing.

I find Defence against the Dark Arts to be a fascinating subject, although my mother was not very confident teaching me about it.

Lily is excelling in Charms although when she turns seventeen and can do magic at home, DO NOT ask her to perform any cleaning charms!

Petunia is quite gifted in Transfiguration and always manages to impress her professor in class with her natural talent. Additionally, she has shown a keen interest in Herbology and has a desire to cultivate her own greenhouse one day. As for me, I have always struggled with growing the right ingredients despite my talent for making Potions.

If you're sure it won't be too much trouble, I would love to come and spend Christmas with your family.

Yours sincerely Severus.

~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~

Dear Rose,

There is no need to worry about bullies going after you, I have learned more than first-year spells and if anyone is bothering you just tell me and I'll deal with them.

The Great Hall really is grand and majestic. It's a little hard to explain in a letter but it truly is magnificent.

Professor Slughorn is the Head of Slytherin and the Potions Professor. He is fat, has a bubbly personality and has a club informally known as the Slug Club, consisting of students that he thinks are particularly talented, ambitious, clever, or simply well-connected. Slughorn doesn't invite First-years to his club but he has made several large hints that he would like both Lily and I to join when we are in our Second-year.

Professor Sprout is the Head of Hufflepuff and the Herbology Professor. She is kind and very knowledgeable in her field, with her classes being very hands-on learning, so expect to get dirt on your hands and under your nails.

Professor Flitwick is the Head of Ravenclaw and the Charms Professor. He is short and very bouncy when teaching his class. Lily is quite fond of his style of teaching and enjoys the class immensely.

Professor McGonagall is the Head of Gryffindor, the Deputy Headmistress and the Transfiguration Professor. She is stern but fair, not playing favourites with any of the houses despite being a Gryffindor. She does not tolerate anyone messing around in her class because Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts.

Your love of flowers and plants should help you out a lot with Herbology and I can teach you everything you need to know about Potions when you get here. Lily is fantastic with Potions too as well as Charms and Petunia is the best at Transfiguration.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at Christmas.

Love Severus

~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~ ~.~

Dear Tansy,

I have asked for Petunia's help with instigating the part of the prank that involves doing Black and Potter so hopefully she will think of something extremely sneaky so neither one of us gets caught.

Here are a few more spells for you to practise, the Leg-locker curse (Locomotor Mortis), the Full-body bind (Petrificus Totalus) and just in case you need to cancel a spell someone put on you, The General Counter-Spell (Finite or Finite Incantatem)

I hate the thought of someone attacking you when I'm not around to protect you, but it is better to have a spell you don't need than to need a spell you don't have.

Your father's suggestion about how to deal with someone who steals your wand by kicking in the shin is quite a good one. If it is a boy who steals your wand I would also suggest kicking them in between the legs.

I'm unsure what classes you will like when you get here, but I can teach you all you need to know about Potions and D.A.D.A when you get here.

I can't wait to see you at Christmas.

Love Severus

As the evening wore on, the library grew quieter and more deserted. But Severus was happy to continue working together, enjoying the other's company and the peaceful atmosphere of the library.

That Monday morning Severus made his way to the common room dressed in his best robes he discovered very quickly that Slytherin was comprised of very affluent families. He had heard many of the upperclassmen including Malfoy boasting about the fine robes they had bought at a shop called Twilfitt and Tattings, a place Severus was sure he would never afford. He had also heard Malfoy and the like boasting about how many house elves they owned and how much they enjoyed making the house elf punish itself for any reason.

Petunia and Lily both had classes that morning which meant that Severus didn't need to give Petunia her present until lunchtime. Watching the dynamics of the different years, Severus found he could pick out the Prince and Princess for the years that were hanging around the common room.

Severus could see the Italian Princess, Amara Zabini holding court with the rest of the First-year girls, her long black hair done up in some fancy style looking somewhat smug at having established herself as the First-year Princess of Slytherin for the girls. He just hoped she wouldn't be too overbearing or clingy and want to spend all her time around him even though he was going to declare himself Prince of the First-years. Severus gathered up the boys and led them over to Amara.

'Good morning Princess Amara. May we join you?' Severus asked politely

Amara surveyed Severus's assembled group. If she was surprised at Severus being the Prince, she didn't allow it to show.

'Of course, Prince Severus.' Amara acknowledged. 'Please sit!' gesturing to the throne at her right. Severus sat down, clearing his mind of his nervousness, it would be fatal to show any kind of weakness.

'Please join us, gentleman.' Severus indicated the chairs around them and the boys quietly joined the group of girls.

'It is nice to know the boys have finally procured a Prince.' Amara smirked, laying her hand on Severus' left arm. 'I look forward to working closely together.'

'Just because we are forced to work together,' Severus hissed quietly. 'It does not mean I will tolerate you pawing at me like some ill-bred Troll.'

'My apologies.' Amara whispered, sounding highly offended as she removed her hand. Then raising her voice to the group at large she spoke. 'Before you gentlemen joined us we were just discussing the interesting information Jasmine Hunter willingly offered about Slytherin to a group of outsiders.' Given her tone of voice, Amara thought the information was significant

Severus let a smirk creep onto his face, defending Jasmine Hunter would lead to her owing him a favour extracting a little payback from her for the tutoring she had forced him to endure when he would have much preferred to spend his time with Lily.

'I was present that day when Miss Hunter gave information away and I can assure you it was merely inconsequential.' Severus declared.

'Oh really... Pray tell Prince Severus?' Amara asked 'Please enlighten everyone who may not know, what exactly the inconsequential information was.'

'Miss Hunter was merely telling her sister and a group of Gryffindor girls, which boys she thought were attractive' Severus explained

'Ah… I had heard Hunter boasting about how she had supplied her sister with information about Slytherin, but it was unclear just what the information was. Thank you for the clarification.' Amara responded. She was about to say something more when she was interrupted by a voice.

'First-years' Lucius drawled to the room at large 'Would you be so kind as to join me?' Although it sounded like a suggestion, Severus knew Lucius's question was more of a demand. Severus and his fellow first-years made their way over to Lucius cautiously as he smirked at them from where he was sprawled on his armchair, as though it was his own personal throne.

'Have a seat.' Lucius commanded, gesturing to a group of armchairs arranged in a half-circle around Lucius' throne. Everyone sat down nervously.

'It was determined centuries ago that three weeks was ample enough time for new first years to establish a Prince and Princess and in the short time that you have all been here, there have been only two among you who have measured up to the high standards we Slytherins place upon our Prince and Princess, the person to go to if you have any grievances with your fellow Slytherins. They monitor how you're doing with your school work and whether a tutor must step in and help.

'Congratulations Prince Severus and Princess Amara for achieving this prestigious honour. If there are any concerns that you feel an older student's advice may be necessary you will have the opportunity to bring it up at the King and Queen's court which shall be meeting on Saturday the 18th of September.' Lucius smirked as the bell rang echoing throughout the common room.

'I do believe that is the bell for Lunch. I shall bid you adieu.' Lucius glided out of the common room.

'Princess Amara?' Severus called, seeing Amara with a stunned look on her face.

'Yes?'

'Would you be agreeable to holding our meetings at Eight a.m. on the first Monday of every month?' Severus inquired

'That should suffice, thank you for the suggestion, Prince Severus.' Amara turned to look at the group in front of them. 'If anyone finds a problem too hard to solve by themselves then, by all means, come to us for help, it's what we are here for after all.'

'On that note, we shall conclude our meeting until next month.' Severus snapped, annoyed that Amara had invited their fellow first-years to come to them with every little complaint. Standing up abruptly, Severus strode determinedly to his dormitory and collected Petunia's present hoping he wasn't too late to deliver it to her.