Hogwarts, Great Hall
Hogwarts was known for being a nice, calm, clean school.
But right now, that was far from the truth.
Ever since Severus was expelled, the Slytherins had been in an uproar. The once orderly common room now buzzed with tension, and whispers of dissent echoed through the stone corridors.
The younger students, who had always looked up to Severus as an older brother, were lost without him. They huddled in small groups, their eyes wide with confusion and fear. The older students, meanwhile, were angry—furious that one of their own had been cast out so abruptly.
Lucius, normally the picture of calm and control, was at the center of it all, his frustration barely contained as he tried to manage the chaos. He had spent countless hours in the common room, reassuring the younger Slytherins while silently seething at the injustice of it all.
Narcissa had taken to sending howlers home to her parents, demanding they do something to help Severus. Bellatrix, on the other hand, had become even more volatile, snapping at anyone who dared to speak Severus's name in anything but reverence.
Even Regulus, who usually kept to himself, had become more vocal, openly questioning the authority of the professors who had let this happen. The bond that held the Slytherins together was still there, but it was stretched thin, fraying at the edges.
And it was even worse for the other houses. Before Severus left, Slytherin mostly kept to themselves, save the few pranks and hexes. But now that he was gone, no one was safe from getting jinxed in the hallway or hexed at lunch.
Not even professors.
The Marauders, sensing the tension, seemed to thrive on it. They taunted the Slytherins even more, their pranks turning crueler, their jeers louder. They would walk by the Slytherin table during meals, sneering and making comments about Severus, mocking his expulsion.
It was Sirius who pushed it too far. "Guess Snivellus couldn't hack it," he said one day in the corridor, his voice dripping with contempt as he passed by Regulus. "Got what he deserved, didn't he? Probably ran off crying to his dead dad."
Regulus froze, his blood boiling at the insult to Severus and the implication about Tobias. He wasn't the only one. Bellatrix, standing nearby, had heard every word. Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous gleam flashing in them.
"You should watch your mouth, Sirius," she hissed, her wand slipping into her hand. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think I do," Sirius shot back, smirking. "Snivellus was always a coward. Maybe he finally found the guts to slink off and die."
Before anyone could stop her, Bellatrix raised her wand. "Crucio!"
The spell hit Sirius with full force, and he dropped to the ground, screaming in agony. The entire corridor seemed to stop, the echo of his cries filling the air. Regulus stood there, torn between wanting to step forward and help his brother, and the burning anger that told him Sirius had this coming.
James rushed forward, trying to break the curse, while Peter and Remus looked on in shock. But Bellatrix didn't relent. It wasn't until Narcissa grabbed her arm and pulled her back that the curse finally lifted, leaving Sirius gasping for breath on the cold stone floor.
"Let's see how brave you are now, Sirius," Bellatrix spat, her voice dripping with venom. "You'll think twice before opening that mouth of yours again."
The aftermath was chaos. Sirius was taken to the hospital wing, and the incident sent shockwaves through the school. The line had been crossed, and it was clear to everyone that without Severus, the Slytherins were unhinged, willing to do whatever it took to defend their own.
And you can bet, an Unforgivable being cast within the walls of Hogwarts spread like wildfire across the wizarding world. From Rio to China, every magical school, ministry, and leader knew what had happened.
Dumbledore wasn't one to miss an opportunity to boost his own image, but this time, his reputation was in shambles. The scandal painted him as careless, and no one offered him any sympathy.
Parents wrote letters in outrage, demanding answers and reconsidering whether Hogwarts was safe for their children. The Daily Prophet ran front-page articles for days, each one more damning than the last. Headlines like " Dark Magic at Hogwarts: Has Dumbledore Lost Control?" and " Scandal at School: Unforgivable Curse Cast on Student" dominated the wizarding news.
The wizarding community was in uproar, questioning how such an incident could happen under Dumbledore's watch. Some even called for his resignation, arguing that Hogwarts was no longer the safe haven it once was. The pressure was mounting, and for once, the headmaster's twinkling eyes held a shadow of uncertainty.
This type of press was new to the Daily Prophet, and they seized the opportunity to interview students as soon as it became possible. Reporters descended upon Hogwarts like vultures, eager to capture every rumor, every whispered conversation, and every tear-streaked confession. The headlines were relentless, each one more sensational than the last.
Even the most timid students, those who would usually shy away from the limelight, found themselves drawn into the frenzy. And there was one name on everyone's lips—one name that seemed to be at the center of it all: Severus Snape.
But the name alone wasn't enough. The press began to dig, clawing their way through Hogwarts' records, piecing together the story of a boy who had been quietly overshadowed by his more famous peers. They uncovered a history of isolation, whispered bullying, and unresolved tensions. They painted Severus not just as a victim, but as a catalyst—a force that had sparked the unraveling of the school's carefully maintained image.
And with that digging came more scandal. The Prophet reported on incidents that had long been buried, stories of dark magic practices whispered about but never confirmed, tales of curses cast in hidden corners of the castle. Severus' name was linked to all of it, his image twisted by the media into something unrecognizable—an embodiment of everything that had gone wrong within Hogwarts.
The fallout was immediate and devastating. Parents began withdrawing their children from school, unwilling to let them stay in a place where such darkness seemed to thrive. Letters flooded in, demanding answers, and the Ministry itself was pressured to intervene.
As the scandal deepened, Dumbledore's position grew increasingly precarious. The Board of Governors, already shaken by the Unforgivable Curse incident, found themselves facing even more questions about the school's leadership and its ability to keep students safe. The whispers of Dumbledore's impending resignation grew louder, turning into open calls for his departure.
The more the international wizarding community learned about Severus Snape, the more intrigued they became. Ministries, schools, and magical institutions across the globe began to quietly observe, whispering about the potential Severus possessed. While Dumbledore had dismissed him, others were beginning to see the true extent of his capabilities—a prodigy, a rising force.
Countries that prided themselves on nurturing the most powerful wizards were now eyeing the boy who had been expelled from Hogwarts. Letters were drafted, offers of sanctuary and training were considered, and in the shadows of these powerful institutions, discussions about Severus's potential future were held.
But the peak of it all hadn't even happened yet. That was, until Dumbledore, ever the master of misdirection, decided to ignore the growing concerns and instead focused his efforts on punishing the Slytherins responsible for the escalating chaos.
His actions, however, only seemed to amplify the situation. He imposed severe restrictions on the Slytherin students, suspending privileges and increasing surveillance. But instead of quelling the unrest, Dumbledore's heavy-handed approach only fueled further discontent. The Slytherins, already on edge, saw this as yet another injustice—a sign that the headmaster was siding with their rivals and was determined to keep them under his thumb.
Rumors spread like wildfire that Dumbledore's punitive measures were a direct response to the backlash from the other wizarding communities. The more the headmaster attempted to control the situation, the more it seemed to spiral out of his grasp. The Slytherins were more determined than ever to show their loyalty to Severus and to prove their strength in the face of adversity.
As tensions rose, the students' discontent became more evident. The entire school was caught in a whirlwind of political and social upheaval, with each house taking sides and each student finding their own way to cope with the turmoil. The once peaceful corridors of Hogwarts were now filled with murmurs of rebellion and whispers of revenge.
But across the Atlantic Ocean, the boy who was at the center of it all slept peacefully in his bed. Severus lay still under the covers, oblivious to the whirlwind of attention he had stirred.
Downstairs, his mother, Mary-Anne, sat amid a growing pile of letters from wizarding schools around the world.
She hadn't the slightest inkling of the turmoil that had consumed Hogwarts. Her focus was entirely on these letters. Schools from every corner of the globe were eager to extend invitations, offer scholarships, or simply express their admiration.
Mary-Anne, scanning the pile with a mixture of pride and bewilderment, wondered what had prompted this surge of attention.
"What...What the hell?"