Arnold Redhouse's room could be considered too bright for a Dark Arts Professor's room. A few detectors and a couple of dark objects were scattered around. However, they seemed to be there more to indicate that it belonged to a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor than to be needed. Most of the walls were covered with posters of the Wimbourne Wasps. In fact, the wall's eye-scratching pink color was hardly visible. The truth was that Severus would prefer the wall's eye-scratching pink color over the posters of those clownish Quidditch players in their yellow-black striped uniforms with the wasp emblem. According to him, no teacher, no matter how fanatical a 'Needle' they were, should ever hang Wimbourne Wasps posters on the walls of their room, especially if the room was candy pink!
The fame of the Wimbourne Wasps was slowly declining; it was an old club, but still had fanatics like Redhouse. Severus was almost sure that the reason for the declining reputation and performance of the Wimbourne Wasps was the stupid wasp symbols and the terrible yellow-black striped uniforms. Fans of Wimbourne were called 'Needles,' and many fans initially found it cool. However, by Merlin, they were in the 20th century, and being called a 'Needle' was no longer cool. No, it was the era of big shots who didn't want to roam around as stupid wasps. Severus remembered unnecessarily that Kevin Dominic, the only Quidditch player he had ever liked, had refused to join the Wimbourne Wasps, saying, 'I won't wear this ridiculous uniform,' despite a jaw-dropping salary offer.
There was also a box of Bludgers which were jumping inside, trying to break free from their chains. They were making a dreadful noise. If it were Severus, he wouldn't keep those disgusting heavy balls in that place for another second. However, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher took pride in his Bludgers. He was said to be the best Beater of his student years. The Snitches flying around the room, leaving a golden trail behind, gave the impression that he wouldn't mind being a Seeker either. There was no Quaffle. According to Redhouse, throwing, catching, or attempting to pass through the hoops with the Quaffle was the most boring part of Quidditch. For Severus, on the other hand, it was the opposite. In the ridiculous game of Quidditch, he could only understand the Chasers and Keepers. Besides, tracking the Quaffle was an easy and painless, harmless and most importantly have a point. It wasn't a fast little devil like the Snitch or a heavy and clumsy enemy like the Bludger...
Arnold Redhouse quickly left the hospital wing. In fact, as soon as he came to himself... He skillfully ignored Madam Pomfrey, who insisted that he needed to stay a little longer, and ordered Severus to come to his room at lunch break.
Snape hadn't eaten yet and didn't want to miss the meal. However, Redhouse seemed to be going to talk for a long time. He started the conversation by praising Snape's duelling skills and awarded Slytherin a considerable amount of points. After that, he asked if Snape would like to stay a little longer and chat. Snape's personal answer would be, of course, 'no,' but he thought better. With a frosty face and fake smile, he looked at the man and said, 'I would love to'. Now, Redhouse had set aside the duelling talk and the Dark Arts and started a heavy discourse about Quidditch. He was narrating some of the new season matches and sharing some of his old Beater adventures.
Snape was about to explode from either boredom or anger. He was bored because he didn't like Quidditch, and Redhouse's words about leaving teaching if an offer came from Wimbourne didn't interest him. He was angry because he had a lot of work to do, and he was hungry. Although butterbeer was offered with great friendliness, unfortunately, it didn't fill his stomach.
Redhouse was going to indeed leave the school at the end of the term. Snape would learn years later that it was because of a curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Dumbledore had confirmed the rumor about the curse on this particular lesson in his fourteenth application for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position.
As far as Severus could recall, Redhouse worked with amateur teams after leaving school. Later, he received an offer from Chudley Cannons, but he considered it not as an opportunity but more of a personal insult. At the age of 32, an offer came from the Wimbourne Wasps, the team he was a fanatic of. However, he never got to play for that team. In the summer he signed the contract, he got caught by the dragon pox. He needed to take a break from his practices for a while, but he never agreed to that. He believed he had to work hard to be the best and worthy of Wimbourne. He passed away in his early 33s in 1986. Severus remembered it well. Poor man! He was so eager to play for that team...
"Professor, you can obtain doxy venom from their eggs!" he said out of nowhere.
"I-I don't understand?!"
Professor Arnold Redhouse was truly surprised. He was narrating how he was friends with Ludo Bagman, the shining star of the England national team, when Snape brought up doxy eggs.
"I mean to say; instead of an adult doxy, you can also obtain venom from their eggs. Moreover, you don't have to waste time hunting doxies. Doxy eggs are even sold on Diagon Alley."
"And why would I buy eggs from there?" Redhouse said, forgetting the topic and the Quidditch. "While those doxies cover all my unused wardrobes? Why would I spend money on eggs?"
"Well, because while trying to catch doxies, they bite you, and a doxy bite is poisonous. Eggs are harmless."
"Oh Severus, you know I have an ointment for that. A few bites won't do anything to me."
"Yes, but you're dealing with doxies too much, getting bit too often. You need to freeze them; you're studying them while they're livid. It's very dangerous..."
Redhouse circled around the table and slapped him on the back. Severus found this friendliness a bit too much and furrowed his brows.
"Come on, son, I'm working on a fantastic research. I'm developing a product with doxy venom, and if it works..." His eyes lingered on one of the posters on the wall for a while, then he turned his head. "I can bring a new breath to the defensive arts."
Indeed, it was true. Redhouse had created that fantastic invention. He had domesticated the venom and found the first component of a very powerful truth potion. However, before completing the potion, later called 'veritaserum,' he died. The potion was later completed by Arthur, Redhouse's brother, who found his notes. And he had made a name for himself as the inventor. Arthur had presented the project as if it were entirely his own, and Arnold's name was not even mentioned.
"I know, I know. However, if you are exposed to doxy bites for a long time, it can harm you," he hissed, lowering his voice a bit before continuing. "Professor, it can lead to dragon pox. Also, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages triggers it." He cast a blaming look at the Butterbeer. After these words, he received a few more laughs and a few more slaps on the back.
"Come on, Severus, I've never heard of a man who got dragon pox from a Doxy bite until today!"
"Because nobody is foolish enough to feed themselves to doxies every day!"
Snape cursed his sharp tongue and reminded himself that the young man in front of him was not his student but his teacher. The room's atmosphere immediately freezed like Dementors had descended from above.
"Five points from Slytherin, Mr. Snape! Me chatting with you doesn't give you the right to be cheeky."
Snape frowned in anger. How had this man become a Ravenclaw? Then he stopped and lowered his voice even more.
"I can help you, actually."
"Pardon?"
"I know the formula you're working on. I can assist."
Why had he said this now? He already had limited time, and was he going to spend the remaining of it with trying to invent a potion he already knew how to brew?
"Well, I've heard you have a talent for potions, Severus. But, umm... I mean, I don't think any help would be of much use. Still, thank you. If you want, you can go. You haven't eaten, have you?"
He didn't argue any further. He quickly got out. He would think about this later. Redhouse wasn't in mortal danger right now. No, the one in mortal danger was himself. He was starving!
Without taking a bite from his lunch, it disappeared from his plate. Instead, desserts appeared. Severus reached for the chocolate cake and put a quarter of the huge cake on his plate.
"Merlin! Are you that hungry?"
Merlin for me! Had he managed to sit next to Rosier again?
"Redhouse invited me to his room. I couldn't make it to the lunch."
"Is he mad?"
"No. Just a little chat about Quidditch..." He gestured with his hand as if to say, "You know." He took a big bite from his cake; it was truly delicious.
"Well, I thought so. Redhouse doesn't care about such things. He probably liked it. After all, your success is his success. I mean, he is your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher..." He raised his eyebrows. "By the way, how could you fight that good?"
Severus swallowed the bite. He turned to look at Rosier. Everyone would ask that question, wouldn't they?
"That spell, the pink piglet, I could already do those. I'm always working on them. So..."
"I'm not asking about the pig. I'm talking about that thing you and Redhouse did. Your reflexes were perfect, Severus..."
"Because I had worked on it. During the summer, at home..."
"You worked at home? Alone?" Rosier's eyebrows had risen on his forehead. His disbelief was so evident.
"Look, Evan, the most important thing in a duel is speed. Spells come second. No matter how many spells you know, if you're not fast, you lose the duel. I spent most of my life studying curses. But this summer, I worked on speed. I really worked hard, and..." He got excited with an idea; he could convince Evan then. "Occlumency!"
"What- mency?"
"Occlumency! It's a neglected branch of magic. It protects the mind from external attacks. I've been working on this for years. Now I can do it. Both occlumency and legilimency..."
"What's that, sorry?"
"To attack someone's mind from the outside. In a way..." He searched for the right word. His mind went to Harry Potter, a never-existent brat, to the classes he had never taken and conversations he had never had.
"The Dark Lord is highly skilled in Legilimency."
"What's that, sir?"
"The ability to extract emotions and memories from another person's mind-"
"He reads minds?"
"Only Muggles talk of "mind-reading. The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter. Or at least most minds are..."
"...Kind of like mind reading..." he finished his words, rolling his eyes. That was the shortest explanation.
"And you're saying you can read minds."
"It's more about sensing a person's emotions, memories flowing into your own mind-"
"Then read my mind!"
Snape looked annoyed, and glanced at Rosier.
"Well, you probably think I'm talking nonsense right now. But deep down, you're curious about what I'll pull out of your mind."
"Anyone could say that," Evan replied, raising his eyebrows. "Is that what you call a talent now?"
Snape delved into the boy's mind with irritation, swiftly stirring through his memories. There were plenty, but he needed a useful one -wait a minute-
"You kissed Florence?"
"What? Of course no-no. You- BERTHA SAID!"
"Don't be ridiculous, do I look like someone who listens gossips from Jorkins?"
"THERE'S NO NEED TO LISTEN! She-" Closing his eyes, he calmed himself. "-she always finds a way to get the words out-"
"Well, but I didn't hear it from her. Legilimence! That's it! The ability to steal other people's memories!"
"Not such a fancy skill then!" Evan retorted coldly.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "But it's extremely useful. It allows you to understand a spell even before it's spoken. I had an advantage over Redhouse, and I used it."
"So was that legililolce- or whatever. How is it done?"
"It's quite difficult, I mean, I..." Damn it!
"But you can do it! So why can't we?"
"Because it takes time. For God's sake, Evan, it takes years. I've been working on it since I was almost five. Most wizards don't bother with this. It's almost a forgotten magic."
"Or you just want to keep your victory to yourself!" Evan Rosier said, infuriated, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stormed out.
Merlin! Merlin! He had thought this chance would be his greatest prize. Why was life still so messed up?
Today was a complete disaster, especially after the morning duel show, which had spread through the school like a forest fire. Did Severus receive any praise? No! Everyone was whispering in corners. When he appeared, they either avoided crossing paths with him or mysteriously fell silent. Severus was used to being feared and avoided, but silence in his presence? That was strange! He soon figured out the essence of it, of course...
After the DADA classes, he went to Charms. Most of the students who passed through the Dark Arts O.W.L.s also took Charms. The few students not in that class also seemed to know what had happened anyways. All of them huddled in the back row, casting the most disdainful glares at him. Severus thought it best to sit quietly throughout the class. During break, he came across some girls whispering in a corridor. Of course, most girls whispered in corridors. There was nothing unusual about that. However, when he heard one of them say 'Snape,' he stopped and eavesdropped. The one speaking was one of the two Hufflepuff idiots who managed to take the DADA class.
"Then Redhouse flew, flew, and BOOM!" Candy gave her friends a dramatic look. "After that, fake panic, oh, I didn't do anything, it was just 'Expelliarmus,' but we all saw it! Dark magic..." She paused, shaking her head. "He is trained, obviously! We need to be careful! The followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named have infiltrated the school!"
"Were you talking about me, ladies?" They all turned to look at him. "Because if you were, let's talk together. Now, what were we saying? Ah, Voldemort-"
As soon as they heard his name, the girls screamed and disappeared. Later, Severus had to admit that loudly mentioning the Dark Lord's name wasn't the smartest move. Everyone in the corridor looked at the fleeing girls and the annoyed Snape, and whispers multiplied. The worst part was that Lily was in that corridor at that moment. She hadn't raised her head to look, but who knows what she was thinking! Oh boy...
After lunch break - and Severus, unable to eat his cake after the arguments with Rosier, stood up hungry - he attended Herbology, Arithmancy, and Astronomy.
Herbology and Arithmancy had passed incredibly boring. Listening to topics he knew like the back of his hand as if he knew nothing was unbearable. So, he continued to apply the method he had adopted in those classes - to act as if he didn't exist. However, Astronomy was quite challenging for him. He had almost forgotten the topics, almost... Why had he even joined FYBS Astronomy class? He had no interest in that subject at all. He took notes throughout the class, praying that Professor Aurora Sinistra wouldn't ask him any questions. Fortunately, Professor Sinistra either didn't notice or chose to ignore his existence. Severus was encountering the betrayal of his memory for the first time.
As he headed to dinner, he was exhausted from hunger and fatigue. Sweat was dripping from his temples. Being a student was truly harder than being a teacher. He had been running from one classroom to another all day. On top of that, he had overheard murmurs from people around him. A good meal would do him good. And perhaps a shower before meeting Lily... He couldn't afford to smell of sweat in front of her, could he?
He cursed his own excitement. Acting as if Lily had accepted to go out a proper date with him was irrational. She had only agreed to listen to the 'important' topic he wanted to discuss, that's all (she had been silent, but well, he counted that as acceptance). Besides, she was disgusted by him, even if she hadn't said it explicitly, he had already understood it with his deep Legilimency abilities. The excitement within him turned into sadness. What wouldn't he do for Lily to love him, to choose him-
"Eh, um... S-Severus?"
He turned. It was Linda Airado. Interesting! She was a very beautiful girl. Spanish. She had a lovely tone in her voice. Her accent was pleasant. She was one of the twenty-something students who had watched his morning show. He wondered what she wanted to talk about with him?
"Dumbledore asked me to give this to you."
She handed him a piece of paper. Severus, extended his hand towards the girl and she carefully left the note in the open palm. Airado seemed reluctant to touch his hand. After the delivery of the note, she hurried away. She seemed pleased enough that she had successfully completed her mission.
Before reading the note, Severus stared at the shrinking figure of the girl in the corridor for a long time. What did she want to talk about? Hah! She has a note for him from one of the professors, of course. What was he expecting her to say?, 'Are you free for this Hogsmeade trip, Severus darling?' Not even funny! He shook his head and slowly began to open the paper. What t f the old man wants now? How many times did they have to meet in a day?
"Be in my office at eight thirty in the evening.
Note: The cake still has raisin..."
At eight thirty in the evening? But he had promised to meet Lily at that time! He couldn't just go to her and say, 'Let's postpone our meeting!' Telling Dumbledore that he would be meeting Lily at that hour, oh no! He would rather eat a cauldron of dragon dung than admitting that. So, whom should he prioritize? Dumbledore, who he needed more than his wand in this situation, or his one true love, Lily?"