When the start of term feast officially began, Silver had her hands full. Full of whiny pureblooded children sneering away at her. Whether any of the other houses noticed was not a mystery. They never saw anything further than the green and silver. Poor in-house relation concepts seemed to be a mystery to them.
Regardless, she continued to quietly eat away at her meal with perfect posture and manners. Catching a glimpse at a greasy meat dish and other such disgusting unhealthy, stomach flu inducing, food atrocities. She'll stick to her grilled chicken breast, chilled coffee sauce, apple slices, and lightly steamed vegetables, thank you.
A snicker floated its way into her own thoughts that sounded vaguely like her brother. Shooting a glance over at him, they made eye contact. A smirk was dancing on Terra's lips, part of it hiding under the long fringe that he had hiding his eyepatch. Ron was stuffing his face with food flying out of his mouth every time he talked. Hermione was blabbering about all the things she's read about the place.
Silver rolled her eyes at Terra from across the tables with a fond barely there smile. She didn't really care much for the musings of spoilt children that never really had to work a day in their life. So, go ahead and laugh away, brother. Laugh away. A fellow Slytherin not so covertly clears their throat from across the table.
"How did someone like you get sorted into this house? You're clearly not a pureblood, your last name gives you away, so don't try to lie," he speaks to Silver as though she is lesser than him. The said scarlet-headed girl could not help herself but to find hilarity in the situation. This housemate of hers was older, yet she knew that she had more knowledge than he did. She knew more about life, about surviving.
(Because wasn't that what she had been doing all this time with her brother? Surviving?)
"And how would you know that I wasn't other than my name? I could have had it changed? I can tell you the same thing I did Malfoy, my brother and I have chosen that name. We are self-made, which is more than many others of your…stature can attest to," Silver had responded flippantly. Her voice was light and lacked the attention one would place in their voice when they were taking the conversation seriously.
The redness that spread across the male's face brought that tingling sense of amusement to her. She also kind of wanted to roll her eyes, but no. She couldn't, not when she needed to get these children on her side before their parents truly solidify the ideologies. But for now…
"Your timetables…" The soft, velvety voice of her new head of house washed over her. A piece of parchment was placed in front of her by a pale hand. She watched as a finger twitched minutely at the dark expression the owner of the hand caught her housemate giving her. If it weren't for the fact the it was right in front of her face, she didn't think she would have noticed such an action.
Silver peered up at Severus with as open of an expression as she could allow herself given he people around her. He looked down at her and took in the ever slightest quirk of her brow.
"I do hope that everything is…acceptable?" he continued. The boy across from her ducked his head down into his food after receiving his schedule and said nothing more after being caught in attempt at verbally hazing the newest first year. Silver lightly tapped the wood of the table as she scanned her routine for the year.
I had it handled.
A light hum left the man before he walked away. That single sound said everything he didn't.
I know.
The rest of the feast went off without much a hitch. Any further hazing was stopped, but the low-key stares that were glanced her way were not missed by her at all. It wasn't going to simply be a battle of breaking them away from the propaganda of their parents, but a battle of wills.
And Silver, if anything, had a will of steel in spades. She will win at nearly any cost. The future is dependent on it. On her success. She cannot fail. She fears the results of what she knows will happen should otherwise happen.
(She fears so much it squeezes her throat because it'll be just like Cas-)
She won't let the worst come to past; but she'll damn well plan for it. Before too long, the plates disappeared and the food left on the tables went with it. Dumbledore dismissed everyone and the prefects began to take over, guiding the first years around to their house common rooms. From there, the dorms.
The way down to the dungeons was shared with Hufflepuffs as their common room was down there too. When they came near to where Silver knew the kitchens were to be, they split off and the Slytherins continued down. Deeper and deeper they went. The air became colder to the point that Silver started to try and pull at her magic.
She could feel the pool of it that rested in her chest before spreading out in tributaries throughout her body. Her magic came to her call and circulated throughout her body. It ebbed underneath her skin, warming her body without the need for any charms or enchantments.
Now that the Slytherins were away from other eyes, many began to give Silver a wider birth as soon as the news about her supposed blood status came about. When they reached a blank stretch of stone wall at the base of a grand staircase, the prefects turned to face the first years.
"This is where the entrance to the common room resides. The password for the next two weeks will be 'Pureblood'. Do not let anyone outside of our house know the password or you will find the rest of Slytherin very displeased with you. We will also not be afraid to show such…displeasure." The male prefect with his lankier, pale build that showed proof of a severe lack of sunlight. A look at his hands showed smooth skin, no proof of any sort of hard work. The posture and higher tilt of the chin told the rest of all Silver needed to know about his personality.
The female prefect was no better. If Silver had to take an educated guess, it would be that these two were at least distantly related. With how purebloods inbred, nearly all of them are in some aspect related to each other.
(Sweet Home Alabama~)
She still had to remember to bite her tongue before she said anything she really shouldn't. As soon as they were all inside the main portion of the common room with all of its cold, intimidating greens and silvers, Severus came in through another door. Muffled noise through the thick stone walls indicated that all the upper years were already there and in their dorm rooms.
"Welcome to the house of Slytherin," Severus began. His voice, as always, was smooth as a dark velvet and pulled everyone's attention to him without having to fight for it.
"I will sugar coat nothing for you. I expect you to behave and be united outside of these walls. Due to this house's reputation, you will be discriminated against. You will be at a disadvantage against the other houses. You will not be favored by the other professors.
"I expect you to follow the rules and be inside the common room by your allotted curfew times. If you are not, I only have this to say to you," he paused, making sure that everyone was paying attention. They were without a doubt, eyes never leaving his form.
"Do not get caught. Leave no evidence that it was you. Should you be caught, pray that it is me and not another professor or prefect. They will not be kind to you. They will not be fair to you."
With all that having been said, Severus spun on his heel and walked away no doubt towards his quarters or his office. The male prefect clapped his hands together, snapping the first years out of the trance that their head of house had left them in.
"Alright, to your dorms. Boys on the left, girls on the right. You each get your own. Nameplates on the door. Now get to it." Without any further prompting, all the first years split up as pointed out and made their way to each their own dorms. Silver's was placed at the end of the girls hallway. Her school trunk at the foot of a queen sized bed fit for the stuck up purebloods that she shares a Hogwarts house with.
She flopped unceremoniously on her mattress after having shut and locked her door. It actually felt pretty comfortable, not quite her own bed, but it will suffice as a place to sleep. The young scarlet headed girl drew in a long, deep breath then flicked her wrist, lazily unpacking her things into the dark wooden dresser that matched the bed.
She didn't bother to get undressed for another five minutes, content with just staring at the dull stone ceiling above her. Silver didn't feel restless, but she wasn't tired enough to fall asleep. Her brain suddenly became far to active.
Phrases and sayings, rhymes and metaphors flitted about her head unrepentantly. A scowl, scrunched nose with furrowed brows and all, painted her elven-like face. Another heaving breath followed by a grunt as she sat up and made her way towards the writing desk in her room. She dug out a notebook and pencil that was just unpacked and sat at the provided chair. The pencil hovered above the lined paper before she just started scribbling.
Honestly, it was nonsense on paper. The same chaos racking her brain painted the paper she was hunched over. She then began to circle phrases, drew lines and arrows, crossed things out, added others. It was a whole entire process that Silver had done before. In the end, the words written still did not make any sort of sense.
Not yet. She told herself. Silver would come back later that week after she had settled into a new routine with her classes with a fresher mind and a thesaurus as her best friend. Lyrics for a new song would be born, but no music to add quite yet as there was no way she was going to get her instrument in Hogwarts. She wouldn't risk its safety anyway.
The first day of classes went about as anyone would expect. Everyone was talking about the day ahead at breakfast. The other houses were receiving their schedules that morning. Silver didn't waste any time trying to do any additional socializing. She knew exactly where she stood with all the others in her house at the moment. Sanctuary exceptions, of course.
The silver-eyed girl made her way to her first class with subtle glares from many of her classmates. Since all the first day of classes were really just introductions and what to expect in the class, Silver didn't have the opportunity to make them eat their silent words.
Nothing special seemed to happen in any of her basic classes except for the obvious 'hidden' dislike all the teachers seemed to have for her house. Silver could already feel the weight beginning to bear down upon her shoulders for the year ahead. Nearly the entire school will be against her.
The teachers and other houses for her house, and her own house because of her perceived blood.
(She tells herself its only temporary and she's dealt with a worse weight.)
She can do this. She must for the sake of the future and innocent lives. The young girl took in a quiet, deep breath in before opening the door to the potions classroom. As suspected, no one was in there yet. No students and no professor. Her feet took her towards a desk in the front off to the side.
Slowly, more and more students started piling in, Slytherin and Gryffindor both. The rival houses in one room. Joy. Draco sauntered in with his lackeys and threw a disdainful look Silver's way. She wanted to roll her eyes skyward so incredibly bad.
Pompous ass.
Once all the students were inside the classroom, as written, Severus entered by banging open the door and striding in, grabbing all of the students' attention simultaneously. His low drawl of a voice commanded everyone to stay quiet. Silver saw Harry taking notes out of the corner of her eye and felt the trepidation of what she knew was to come.
"Harry Potter…our new…celebrity," Severus says with clear disdain painted across the deep scowl on his face. The dark-haired man looked into the eyes of the woman he loved so dearly and lost. The face of his childhood enemy stared up back at him and he wanted to hate it so much. He really did. He wanted to pretend to be the bad guy, the only evil in Harry's life to worry about.
But something stopped him from doing so. Something that put a grinding freaking halt to every plan he ever had regarding the child sitting before him. His dark eyes drifted to starlight that stared back. It took him back to the days when those eyes were wary and tired. When his heart ached for the children that he found shivering in the cold. It was then that he decided to do something he didn't think he'd ever willingly do.
Severus made direct eye contact with the green eyes he loved so much once upon a time. He felt like he was falling in place as he watched the memories play before him. It worried him how easy it was to slip into his mind. It shouldn't have been this easy. Harry should have been spoiled. He should have been rotten and so easy to hate.
That was not the boy. The young male before him was timid and unsure. Green eyes questioned their own existence in the mirror and wished desperately for someone—anyone—to save him. Then the savior came and gave him a home, a family, a home.
Severus came back to reality where only a matter of a few seconds passed like a dramatic speech. He found himself only able to say these few questions to Harry and hoped that the young girl he saved once would be able to catch on and tell Harry for him. He could not bring himself to do it.
"What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" he asked, completely believing that he wouldn't know. Harry looked off to the side for a moment in thought. Hermione's hand flew into the air thinking that Harry didn't know.
Suddenly, a spark of realization flew across Harry's eyes like the wind through blades of spring grass. A blink and then the young brunette relaxes like this is just an everyday occurrence and he knows exactly what to do.
Harry opened his mouth to answer before closing his mouth and opening once again, "Drought of the Living Death, Sir." Severus was taken aback, though well hidden, that Harry knew the answer to that question. He was tempted to ask him more questions. That is, until Harry beat him to it.
"I find that sage is a good substitute for asphodel. Though it doesn't create the same effect of a coma, but more along the lines of a peaceful one."
Severus's mind worked quickly through the meaning before he could even realize that he was doing it. Beneath his robes as he dramatically turned around, his hands shook out of sight from the realization he had just came to.
Harry knew that he was apologizing for Lily's death. That he regrets it. Everything that he was made to do and all that mistakes that he made. He could see it in those green green eyes of Lily's. When Severus turned back to the class, he no longer saw the James that taunted him or put his life in danger. He saw the parts of Lily that he couldn't see before. Severus saw the boy that Silver and Terra and saved and took in out of a bad home.
He saw a child.
Suddenly the world wasn't so dark, but he despised Dumbledore all the more for lying to him.