He was getting some curious glances. It seemed no one expected a Hufflepuff of all people to be so knowledgeable about anything, Merlin, what they thought about poor badgers? Crybabies? mama boys/girls?Stupid ass kisses?
When he wanted to gather his things and go to his next class, Flitwick had called him " Mr. Snape, a moment if you please"
He cursed under his breath, it was too soon, he was not ready to see eye to eye with his former colleague! He and Pomona were the least obnoxious of the bunch, but still, their last duel when suddenly everyone had turned on him was fresh in his mind. Harry sodding Potter shouting at him " how dare you to stand where he stood" was fresh in his mind. And by Merlin was the boy dumb, Albus goddamn Dumbledore had been a headmaster for a long time, and stood on every fucking stone on that castle, where he was supposed to stand? On top of Peeves' head? (He wasn't sure, but he guessed that maybe Dumbledore had stood there too)
As he had no option but to follow his now superior professor, he motioned Frank and Charity to leave.
Filius seemed somehow ashamed and apologetic, so he wondered why. He was silent for a long moment but finally coughed" mister Snape, I may owe you an apology..
(Ha? A what? They were not in an alternative reality?the dueling champion and a master of charms professor and head of Ravens, saying that To a firsty???)
" I have lost my temper and shouted at you and it was uncalled for. and I have heard that you...have a great mind, and knowing that, I may have thought you considered my course beneath your notice and acted childish. I was curious to know and I might have gone.. a little further. But in my opinion, honestly, you will do good and go far, you are certainly the brightest Wizard of this age!"
Severus's heart was warmed by this, an apology along with praise...from the least biased teacher... and he wanted to tell himself it was because he had passed this year before, but the fact was he was like this in the first round too. He could already use most, if not all first years at this point in the last round. He could have crafted spells from the third year for Morgana's sack. But because he was lonely and without a friend because he was unkempt and unfriendly and shy and with greasy hair and stained second-hand robes no one noticed him, his too much Lily worship all around him sounded like he used Lily for studying and his innovations in their teamwork mostly were credited to Lily.
Not this time
He would keep his distance, and try and save her maybe, but not worship her and give her ideas. Let others do that. God knew there were Mary and Potter and half the boys and girls in their year and above. She had a certain charm about her, being Muggleborn but not dim-witted about magic and showing great potential along with her friendly nature and her humor and looks(although knowing about widened culture came from him also her most of the pre-knowledge)
Filius was still going on" I heard that you could tell disguise charms and I wonder... May I ask,
Severus understood. He was asked to test him, and he was a bit angry, why no one trusted him?
But again he was a first year, what the first year could tell them except him?
So he nodded. He was curious about how he could do this too, and if Filius was aware of what it was, since he did not know it himself.
Filius murmured the charm and he felt it washing his features.
Filius asked," Can you tell me what I have changed?"
Severus focused, his eyes had a tingle, a wrong tingle, and his hair was funny, not his.
He answered" my eyes and my hair"
Filius's eyes widened instantly" h..how?"
Severus who still was not sure how he had this ability and wanted to know, explained" there is a funny feeling and a tingle, you know a wrong tingle. My magic is like a...like air, it is shapeless and tasteless but ... feels like...smells like the earth, I mean the way the ground smells good after rain maybe?
Filius's eyes were so big he was now about to burst his eyes.
" oh, oh my...you...you have an intuition...there are so few people with this ability in this Era. They can feel magic, taste it and say if it is someone's or another, they call it perception. my world, would you..could you tell mine too?
" hmmm, I am not sure, I have not ever tried it on other people, I did not know it was possible professor...(he focused on Filius's magic, hard, as it was foreign to him, after a minute or so he said, unsure:)I think it is like frisky and kittenish? Curious and smells like iron?
Filius's eyes were brimming with tears, he was mostly talking to himself now " oh my oy...It must be..it must be...as it is said about those with goblin blood has...the iron smell... so the tome was right, it was not a sham ...a fraud... then he said too softly for his ears,( but he heard anyway): Minerva was so wrong, so so wrong about you...
He left him there going to his Flying session which was a short one, about a 45 first session about summoning brooms and cleaning them. As most were purebloods and knew these by heart, it would mostly take 30 minutes at most.
He wanted to think about what Filius had said about Minerva, but he shoved it at the back of his mind. Now was not the time.
When he arrived at the pitch, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was having tryouts at one half and Ravens and Snakes were already having a heated discussion, with no sign of Hootch ( who was in her first year teaching here)in sight.
Mulcibor was laughing at someone: you mud bloods are all clumsy and useless! Oh, your face!
Michael Mulcibor was a pure-blood heir, with too big of a figure, who resembled 3rd years or up. He was also the oldest in the whole first year, being born on September 7th, it meant his magical core and his control over it was more developed than others too. As Slytherin purebloods themselves, (rosier, Wilkes, and the girls Parkinson, Goyle, crabble) knew about this also Ravens( Hypocrite smythic, Barty jr, and Marlen Mackinnon ) were either aware of the fact (he was sure Barty knew) or smart enough not to aggravate the ghoulish big teen.
So Everyone else was silent, maybe out of fear of that nasty boy coming after them too, maybe they were with him on this.
There was a voice he hated as much as Potter's, The voice of that Cowerd named Pettigrew. He was sniffing as he was sitting on the ground, mud all over his robes.
Severus assessed the situation, mostly because he was the victim of a tripping jinx. And He wanted to go and kick his arse and make him suffer for all the sufferings he caused.
But here, now, he was not a man.
He was a boy and a first year too, and Severus had vowed last year that he would protect the innocent children.
Here and now, he was an innocent child. Plus, he was the head of Slytherin for so long and Slughorn was shit, so he had to do something.
damn him, he had to intervene.
When he wanted to go forward, someone grasped his hand, surprised he turned around to see who was it.
It was Marlene, shaking her head and mouthing: no.
But Severus was a man and not a chicken fearing and clucking before a giant. He had fought in two wars thank you very much.
So He coughed " Mister, Mulcibor, is it? I may be wrong but first, what you so eloquently said... mud bloods is a forbidden word and also is referred to people with both muggle parents, so by definition, it does not involve Mr. Pettigrew here. Second, one who has been rumored to ...have ...a grandparent with a, how can I put it, half banshee, can not judge others by their heritage "
What a scene. The tiniest firsty and the biggest one almost face facing having a row.
Mulcibor was a hot head, easy to anger and Severus had counted on it. He did not disappoint. Mulcibor was so angry he was almost black, he raised his hands and came near threateningly" and "Who the hell are you...
When he stood on a broom.
As he was heavy, the broom snapped in half and both parts hit his face.
What a laugh...He really was a firsty wasn't he?
He started wailing, loud and that was when Hootch arrived.
The damn irresponsible chit she was, she was frightened. More! She was panicking, in her class with the most pureblood kids, and now this...
She ran from them, with the boy toward the hospital wing, with no thought ever for the rest.
Pettigrew was still at a corner, but he did not cry.
That was when Avery chuckled: "Well, you fooled him by making him angry. but you will not fool me, boy. You are a mud blood yourself. I am sure of it.
He was trying to bait him, the stupid cow.
Snape arched a brow " you are welcome to think whatever you want, I won't care one bit"
Avery, sensing his trick does not work on his turns to Pettigrew " what about your fat arse? I bet no mud blood could race me to the end of the pitch and back and win. You win or draw and I will be convinced you are worthy of the house of Salazar"
Before Severus Could do a thing he was agreeing on that.
Severus tried anyway: "Pettigrew, isn't it? He is baiting you, I am sure there is a catch and...
Pettigrew the arse snapped at him" shut it, shut it you Hufflepuff. I don't want help from mudbloods!
He felt humiliated and hurt. Karma was a bitch. He was feeling so horrible and Pettigrew was not even his friend...
"On your head be it"
And he went to sit near Marlene.
" you have some serious problems up here, going against that big bad giant"
He shrugged, maybe he had.
When they each got a broom, mounted on it, and when Avery made sure Pettigrew went ahead, then returned to the bunch Severus knew something smelly was afoot.
When Pettigrew got stuck on his broom and the broom started shaking in the middle of the air he cursed.
The same curse was on that broom that was on Potter's. Weaker yes, but that was the same curse.
The same curse he couldn't now perform the counter, due to his small and inexperienced core.
The Gryffindor team has now stopped their training and are watching their bunch.
Pettigrew started wailing pitifully.
Was no one human here? Why did someone not go and get the poor sod? A group of sadists, and all of them!
Pettigrew's grasp on the broom was weakening.
He was about to fall, but he would not die as the pitch had cushioning charms and all, hurt maybe.
And fuck Severus, he couldn't stand it. A firsty, on the first day Flying, a snake ...
He grabbed a broom, and went at top speed.
Pettigrew was about to fall, on 1,2,3
He fell.
Severus did a very dangerous turn, at more than the top speed of Quidich professionals. Then I got the stupid arse in the air.
But they were heavy and Pettigrew's weight hurt his shoulder.
They were going to fall together.
A twin shout of ARRESTO MOMENTUM!
And they were coming to earth, gently.
When on earth, Fabian and Gideon were hugging him, fiercely.
" Severus, please, please do not give us a heart attack like that. It was the most stupid, brash, Gryffindorish act of heroism we have ever seen. "
Fabian had tears in his eye.
Gideon patted his head:
" if you don't get on the team now, if Sprout does not harass you with it tomorrow or so, I will eat my hat"
Fabian hit his neck "oy, Gideon brother, I am sure you ate it when Percy learned to read when he was 3 and a half"
"Git!"
"Arse!"
" Carrot head!"
Severus who was laughing now said" you're both carrot heads. You dimwitted arses!"
They feined heart attack" oooh, our boy knows curses too"
"Not so innocent?"
Severus nodded, " nope! And I know shit and fuck too"
They rolled their eyes at him at the same time.
Marlene came and stood in an inch of his face and assessed him from head to toe " you really got some heavy balls"
Then left.
Severus choked on his saliva, and the twins laughed madly.
When Severus and the rest were doing what they did, the four heads were in a meeting, they always held it to share stories about their bunch this year, bet who will date who and who would get the highest marks, and who makes the quidditch team.
Slughorn has gone on and on praising a green-eyed beauty muggle-born who dazzled him by brewing her first potion " I am telling you, she will be the brightest in the group!"
Filius rolled his eyes and began telling his tale, animatedly informing them about his encounter with Snape boy.
" and he said my magic smelled like iron! Just like the tome had said!"
Minerva was huffing, again" he must have heard it somehow, a prodigy? With perception, you say? He is a half-blood, maybe he heard it from his mother, and the boy is Hufflepuff for Morgana's!"
Pomona went all angry" oh? What are you fucking saying, Minerva? Can one of my badgers not be as smart?"
"I did not say that Pomona! get a hold of yourself! You are just exaggerating...
Filius stood up" exaggerating! Exaggerating!!!
Pomona held a hand " you are unfair and you damn know it, Minerva, just because you got that Black heir does not mean other first years are not worth your time. And that Lily Evans of yours Slughorn praised so much? She is a muggle-born living across from a street from the boy. I checked. And as a half, he would have taught the girl. As you know he is a puff, so he is generous and kind unlike yours, stingy and grasping what they have too tight to hold them close even against their will. You are just jealous Minny, admit it.
Minerva was having none of it "jealous! Me? Of a badger of all things! Maybe a Raven like Smythwhic or a Slytherin like Rosier but a... Puff?"
Pomona lashed out" what? Gryff can be smart like a raven, as you killed yourself over that chit Prewatt, Molly something? Who was ohh so promising, just for her to get pregnant after her last year and leave school and get married to a Weasley of all dumb creatures on earth? And we all know Dumbledore is more a Snake than a lion. So a gryff can be loyal, kind, smart, and conning but a puff can't? Go to hell Minne!
She left and
When Severus and unexpectedly Marlene joined Frank and Charity at the Hufflepuff table, Marlene took no time telling them about the flying lesson they, in fact, did not get to have, and the fool-hardy stupidity of Severus.
" you think he and that Slytherin guy are just headless Gryffs, knowing no better to anger a giant, bet with a snake pureblood, and go to rescue a half-witted guy from falling to his demise"
Severus totted" not demise, the pitch has cushioning and stuff"
Frank scuffed " a word from the Ravenclawish Gryff, one wonders why the hat ever chooses Hufflepuff at all"
Seveus pouted " am I not loyal enough?"
Charity smiled at him" Frank, Lene got off him, he is actually too cute to say no, probably said please with those big big gorgeous eyes and hat agreed with tears "
Severus just coughed, hard, and was about to be strangled, when two strong hands hit him on his back.
The Prewatts were grinning as a man possessed. They knelt on the floor near him, holding their wands like swords they were going to gift him:
" Sir mister do-gooder, the king of rescues and master of knowledge, the possessor of perception, and the most accomplished flyer this castle has seen, we, thy humble knights, await thy command"
Severus kicked one of their shins " get up, you are making a scene!"
They did not.
" oh wisest and most knowledgeable, oh bravest and noblest of all, do claim our trifle lives as yours, we offer thee our services ...
Severus, fed up with them shouted" GET UP!"
Now most eyes were on them, Severus sat and hid behind Frank, who was bigger than him.
Fab and Gad (as they called themselves) just said" we made sure that Mulcibor guy had a most pleasant evening in the wing, Avery is for tomorrow "
Then they left, winking at him.
Severus just wanted to scream some curses, really, a couple fucks and shit, please?
Chapter End Notes
Severus:Marlene, when you said I have some heavy balls what did you mean?
Marlene: that you have some heavy balls
Severus: I do not understand
Marlene: well dear, you are a boy so have balls, as a girl I have tits, and when I say heavy I mean loaded, hefty, massive, stiff..
Frank: but how do you know they are heavy? You have to have weighed them!
Marlene: ehhh, frank?
Frank continues: you have to have measured them against someone else's balls and as I am the only other boy in our quartet..
Marlene:Frank do stop!
Frank continues anyway: you have to compare his balls to mine, but how did you come and weighed mine?
Marlene facepalms, Severus hangs himself.