Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: This is a rewritten version of chapter 5. The time skip has shifted and the characters are in their fifth year rather than their sixth.
"Can't wait for Quidditch this year," Marcus said as he took his seat beside the window within the compartment. Outside the windows, the boys were greeted with flashes of the English countryside.
"Gryffindor lost Longbottom last year; we should have a better chance this year,"
Severus smiled at his friends; both had been discussing their tactics throughout the summer, and after the events of the fourth year, he could not blame them. Slytherin had lost to Ravenclaw at the last minute, the Quidditch cup slipping through the grasp of the house, and the denial of their fourth year of winning had caused outrage among Slytherins. Severus's eyes drifted through the compartment; nothing about the train had changed, but the same could not be said about those within the compartment. Severus had noticed the stark differences within himself and his friends. Every year, he had shot up in height; he was soon one of the tallest among his year and looked more like a seventh-year than a fifth-year student. His body had become more sculpted, light scars running up his forehand from potions and spell crafting, and stubble began to decorate his face.
"Tad shame, really; they stand no chance now," Thomas added as he stretched out his long legs onto the other seat, his own height rivaling Severus. His dark hair was pulled back, unlike Severus, who liked his hair falling messily across his face. Then again, Thomas was conventionally handsome compared to Severus.
"Aye, Gryffindorks are definitely going to be at the bottom of the table,"
"I have no doubt, especially since I'm sure I'll be captain soon," Marcus said, nodding.
"Doubt that, but don't let my skepticism stop you," Severus muttered as he pulled out his potion book. He flipped through the pages as he heard Marcus protest how he would be the best captain and how Nott was taking Slytherin down the wrong path.
Severus had missed spending time within the walls of Hogwarts and with his friends. He had not seen them throughout the holidays due to the busy time spent working. Severus enjoyed making money, and he was sure that he had made enough to buy a boatload of sweets from the trolley lady, but having to deal with the shady folk that walked into the store had become tiring. Though spending time within the store had developed Severus's skill in managing a business, he developed quickly and soon found himself becoming more confident, no longer the troublemaker of the first year but now a full-fledged potion master in his own mind. Though his status in Slytherin wasn't something that changed, popularity was not something Severus longed for, but becoming infamous was just as bad. A tall, dark Slytherin oddball to everyone else and the bastard runt within his own house.
"I agree with Sev," Thomas finally cut in, causing Marcus to stop his ranting. "If you don't focus on your grades just as much as Quidditch, then Slughorn will never place you as captain."
"Some friends you are," Marcus muttered. "Well, if I don't get it, at least Pace will get it."
Severus understood Marcus's frustrations; it had been tough for him to even be part of the team as a Muggle-born. The Slytherin team had been made up of a majority of Purebloods, with the only two Muggle-borns being Marcus and Jane Pace. Jane Pace was a short Slytherin girl with short dark hair and grey eyes. She had been part of a small Slytherin group of girls and was an aspiring student in Quidditch and studies. Severus had only met her a handful of times; both hardly said a word to each other, though he did enjoy her presence and her input on certain matters. Severus would also be lying if he said he did not find her attractive, though he would blame his hormones for that before he admitted to it.
"Heard Pace made prefect," Thomas stated as he peered over at Severus, a smile on his face. "Who would want to be a prefect?"
"Probably an uppity prat," Marcus stated, chuckling.
Severus muttered for both of them to shut up and cursed himself for telling them about his appointment as a prefect. Severus had no interest in being a prefect; instead, he hated the prestigious position and planned on handing in his badge after the first term ended. Severus's eyes drifted down to his tattered wristwatch, choosing to ignore the jabs from his friends at his expense.
He was expected to join a meeting of prefects in ten minutes and placed his book away as he rose to his feet.
"Stay out of trouble," he quickly muttered, smiling.
"Sure thing, Professor's pet," Marcus said, chuckling, and Thomas howled with laughter.
The compartment door quickly slammed shut after that.
Severus made his way through the train, peering into the compartments as he walked by. Soon, he stood outside a larger compartment that held a collective of students from different houses. Severus exhaled before walking in. He was met with a sea of eyes, all displaying shock as they looked him up and down to ensure that it was really him. After several minutes, a large Hufflepuff boy shuffled forward.
"Can we help you?" he asked, and in response, Severus pulled out the badge.
"Oh, welcome."
Severus didn't bother replying and took his seat next to Jane, the girl nodding to greet him as he sat down. The head boy, a lanky boy in Ravenclaw, stood up and addressed those within the compartment, greeting all the new faces entering the duty of prefect. The meeting went on for another twenty minutes, with the head boy and head girl detailing patrol routes and setting partnerships among the prefects. Each male prefect would have a female prefect from another house as a partner. Severus scoffed at this but said nothing during the assignment of partners.
"Prince, you'll be with Evans," the head boy said as he pointed over to the red-haired girl.
Lily Evans had been a classmate of Severus, one with minimal contact with the boy, and she often kept interactions short; he liked her for that. Over the years, they had worked together in Potions after the events of second year and the confrontation with Sirius Black that led to his potion exploding. Professor Slughorn ensured that he worked far from the likes of Black, Potter, and other prats that seemed to set him off. Thus, Evans aided in Potions; he considered her fairly skilled and at least well-versed in the subject.
The meeting continued before concluding with the head boy speaking on the importance of upholding the title. Severus rolled his eyes. He was surrounded by self-righteous dorks, and as the meeting ended, he reassured himself that he would quit at the first chance he got. Severus stuffed the shining prefect badge into his front pocket as he darted out of the compartment and back towards his own. Upon entering, he was met with cheeky smirks.
"How's the meeting?" Thomas asked as he munched on a sweet. Severus made his way back to his seat, but not before taking a handful of sweets from the pile that the boys were eating from.
"We can give detention and take house points," Severus muttered as he tossed a piece of chocolate into his mouth.
"Brilliant," Marcus exclaimed as he clapped. "Remember to take all points from Gryffindorks!"
"Yeah, I doubt I can do that," Severus retorted, but quickly reassured his friend that he would not give up on the idea. Severus took a moment to consider the situation; by all means, he had gained power that he previously lacked, and as long as he remained level-headed, he could wield it how he saw fit. The conversation switched to the upcoming year, with a discussion about their classes and a brief mention of the tension among Slytherin.
"Wilkes seems to be the one to watch for," Thomas muttered, frowning. In their third year, the boys had gotten into an altercation with William Wilkes that left Thomas with a broken arm, Severus with a black eye, and Marcus with two cracked ribs.
"No need to sweat it," Marcus muttered before pointing towards Severus. "Sevs has the power now."
"My powers are limited," Severus pointed out, and Marcus nodded.
"Yeah, but it's still more than Wilkes," Marcus explained. "We have a better standing right now than ever before. We could become Slytherin royalty."
Thomas shut the boy down by pointing out that despite their power, their house did not see them in a favorable light, outside of the handful of Muggleborns and non-pure fanatics. Severus added that the three of them alone could not take over Slytherin; the political structure of the house was too rigid, and those within the top rank, calling themselves Knights of Walpurgis, had connections.
"Maybe things will change," Marcus said with shrug and Severus responded by shaking his head.
"Nothing has changed,"
The morning after was cold; Severus found himself enjoying being back within Hogwarts' walls. It felt like home after a long holiday, and he missed the castle's beauty. He had settled back into his dorm the night before and was anticipating the start of classes. The feast last night had been the same as every year, with the students suffering through the choir and sorting only to receive food like starving dogs. Severus cringed at the speech Dumbledore gave; it had been the same for over four years, and he wondered how many other people were as bored as he was during the previous night.
"Waiting for me, lads?" Severus asked as he spotted his friends loitering in the corridors.
Thomas turned around; in his arms was a large dark arts book, and he seemed invested in reading. Marcus, on the other hand, had a wide smile on his face; his eyes were watching people before Severus appeared.
"Nah, we've got better things to do," Marcus muttered. "We're helping first years."
"Helping first years?"
"Marcus is giving them the wrong directions," Thomas clarified as he slammed the book he was reading shut. "Stupid, really."
"Neither of you two knows how to have fun," Marcus pointed out as he fell into step with the boys. "It's great to be back; I've been itching to use magic all summer."
The boys got up to the first floor, passing by the Bloody Baron on their way. They muttered a small greeting to their house ghost but quickly shuffled past the specter. Ghosts had become a normal aspect of Hogwarts, no different from the staff or students. Though Severus found himself uneasy at the thought of them—a being trapped in the world of the living for God knows how long—he had always considered being a ghost far worse than simply dying, and seeing the Baron had reaffirmed that thought.
The boys entered the Great Hall, making their way toward the Slytherin table and directly to their spot. The seating arrangement had not changed since their first year; those with stark Slytherin beliefs sat as far as possible from the pariahs. Severus peered down the table and noted the usual faces: Rosier's gang, which included Mulciber, Avery, and Regulus Black. The younger Black had been the tagalong in the crew. Severus disliked him as much as his brother, but he admitted he knew how to keep his mouth shut.
The thought of Sirius Black made Severus's eyebrows furrow. His eyes drifted towards the Gryffindor table, where a group of boys sat hunched over what seemed to be a piece of parchment. A year ago, the Gryffindors had begun to call themselves the Marauders, a name that sounded like a silly band. Much like a silly band, they began to go by nicknames. Severus rolled his eyes at the thought but kept his gaze on the odd parchment.
"What are they up to?" Severus hissed as he eyed each boy. Marcus turned from the piece of bacon he was munching on to peer over at the group.
"Who cares?" he finally added before turning back to his breakfast. "We have more important things to worry about,"
"He's right; we have our O.W.L.S. and our classes," Thomas said, looking over at the book on his lap. O.W.L.S. had been the advanced classes that would determine a witch's or wizard's capability. They would open the door to the more advanced N.E.W.T.S., which would dictate the future of a witch or wizard.
"Can't say I'm sweating it much," Marcus said as he continued to munch on his food. A boy sitting not too far away gave him a disgusted look and shuffled away.
Severus casually ate in silence. He had done great in classes in previous years. He was second to none in Potions, and his Defense Against the Dark Arts was outstanding. However, his Charms and Transfiguration work were average, which was basically a failure in his mind.
Severus made a mental note to brush up on those subjects, along with the reassurance that he would keep himself in line, before taking his timetable out of his robe. He had back-to-back Charms and let out a small groan; he had hoped for Defense.
Breakfast coming to an end, Severus grabbed his bag and made his way out of the Great Hall and towards the third floor. The hallway had become a buzz of students, with a mix of new faces and old. Severus had noticed that a group of Gryffindors was also heading down the same path; among them were the Marauders. Potter looked as stuck-up as usual. His messy hair sat atop his head and was a replacement for a personality, but it seemed to catch the eye of brain-dead girls. Severus wondered why Potter was popular; he supposed it was due to the fact that he fit Gryffindor's dull-headed heroic template. Severus heard Marcus snicker beside him and turned to notice the boy had pulled out his wand.
"Levicorpus," he muttered before flicking his wand.
Potter was launched into the air and tossed around like a rag doll before being dropped. Those around Potter were in shock at the sight, and Severus chuckled as he watched the boy scramble back to his feet. It seemed that through the years, Severus's urge to take Potter down a peg or two had grown; this came to a head after the events of the fourth year, where he had hung the boy upside down before tossing him into the Black Lake. Potter let out a groan as he got back to his feet, and Sirius Black turned his attention to Severus. Black marched over before howling at Severus that he knew it was him. In response, Severus shrugged.
"I have no idea where you're coming from, Black," Severus muttered as he turned away from the boy before stopping. "Oh, and ten points from Gryffindor for disrespect."
Severus left the scene; he muttered praise to Marcus, which caused Thomas to frown and warn them that Black would be looking for payback. Severus pointed out that he wasn't helpless; he had been delving into spell crafting since his first year and had a book containing multiple spells. Some of them were light, used to aid in potions or simply improve upon previously existing spells. Others were darker in nature, used to fight back against those who would harm Severus or his friends. Though this did not mean that he would not question the use of such spells, if they were to fall into the wrong hands, like Potter's or Black's, then they could cause serious trouble.
"Come on, we'll be late," Thomas exclaimed as he began to walk at a faster pace. As they walked into the classroom, they were met with the small Charms professor, his wand clutched in his hand and his eyes watching the students eagerly.
"Welcome, students, to your first O.W.L.S. Charms class," he exclaimed as he peered at the students in the room. "Now, if you would get out your equipment, we can begin by learning..."
Severus sat at the back of the class and peered at the door as the Marauders strolled in. Severus grinned as the professor lectured the boys before taking ten points each. Severus heard the collective groans of Gryffindors in the class and nudged Marcus in celebration.
"Forty points on the first day," Marcus snickered under his breath. "Not a bad start,"
"What do you mean you're not coming?" Severus asked Marcus as he pulled on his green hoodie and laced up his black boots. The dorm had been empty for hours, and the only people within it were the three boys.
Marcus sat upon his bed; he was wearing his Quidditch robe and fiddling with the buttons of it. His eyes narrowed at the button as his numb fingers failed to undo it for the fifth time in a row.
"Sorry, mate, but I just got back from early Quidditch practice," he muttered as he finally got the button undone. "And I'm knackered."
This was the first weekend since the boys had returned to Hogwarts. They had planned a trip to Hogsmeade every first weekend since their third year. The trip had been the same since third year; they would visit the sweet shop before getting butterbeer and causing trouble with either Potter's or Rosier's gang.
"Come on, mate, it's no fun when you're missing," Thomas said, but Marcus simply waved him off as he pulled off his Quidditch uniform.
"You'll be fine," Marcus stated. He quickly kicked off his shoes and lay back on his bed. Severus peered at the other boy; he could see the light bruising from Quidditch practice and the way Marcus was fighting off the urge to collapse. He decided it would be for the best and told the boy to relax. Marcus chuckled, saying that he could handle it and that they should have fun.
Severus bid Marcus farewell before walking out and toward the first floor. The duo made their way to the entrance of the school, passing by Filch as he howled at Peeves, the school poltergeist and undead troublemaker. The caretaker had declared war on the poltergeist and had been battling it for as long as Severus could remember. Severus wondered if Filch died, whether he would become a ghost, forever cursed to chase after Peeves and misbehaving students.
Hogsmeade was one of the few wizard settlements within Britain; it was an old-fashioned village with thatched houses and small shops. The duo had made their way into the local sweet shop, and after collecting a handful of sweets, they left. On their way to the Three Broomsticks, the boys decided to check out the Shrieking Shack, a small house sitting alone at the end of Hogsmeade. The tales told about the place were far more impressive; in person, the shack was nothing too impressive.
"Haunted, huh?" Severus muttered on their way back. "Rubbish."
"Never understood the fear," Thomas added. "Ghosts roam Hogwarts."
Entering the Three Broomsticks, the duo found it packed with students, with seats being filled by large groups from several houses. Thomas muttered that he would find them a seat; Severus agreed and went to get some drinks. After finally receiving the drinks, Severus located Thomas sitting alongside Jane Pace and some other Slytherin girls.
"Sev, I believe you've met Pace, Richards, and Blackwell," Thomas said as he pointed out each girl. Richards was a blonde-haired girl with pale blue eyes, while Blackwell was dark-skinned with dark hair and equally dark eyes.
"Nice to see you, Prince," Pace said as Severus took his seat beside Thomas, her grey eyes never leaving Severus as she spoke. "How have you been?"
"Good, thanks for asking, Pace," Severus retorted before taking a sip of his drink.
Severus felt his hands get sweaty and his calm mind cloud up. He was not bad in social situations, but that was only among other boys. Girls were different; they were not easy to read like other boys and hardly expressed their true opinions outwardly. The most female interaction Severus had was with his mother, and she was hardly a social individual, often choosing work over spending time with Severus. In turn, Severus allowed his eyes to drift across the inn, darting through the crowd of students as he listened to the conversation around him.
"So, you two do anything fun?" Pace asked as she peered at the boys. Thomas explained that they had popped by the Shrieking Shack, which caused the girls to perk up.
"No big deal," Thomas muttered as he smirked. "But I'm sure we can handle it."
"A lot of confidence there, Reed," Richards said as she raised her brow, but Thomas simply shrugged and winked at the girl.
"It's not that hard to be brave," Severus chipped in, and Pace seemed to smile at that.
"Want to prove your statement, Prince?" she asked as she peered at Severus.
"How?"
"Oh, a little display of bravery," she added. "Maybe a display of magical skill."
"And I ask again, how?"
Pace peered over at her friends, and there was a collective giggle among the girls. Severus raised his brow; he knew that walking into challenges was dumb, but he saw how Pace looked at him. It was as if she had been judging him. A part of him hated it, but a much more vocal part of him wanted to display strength in hopes of impressing her. Stupid hormones.
"How about getting us a ratty banner?" Pace stated, and Severus frowned.
"A banner?"
"Yup, an old Gryffindor banner that was used to celebrate when Gryffindor wins," Pace stated. "I'm guessing it's hanging in their common room."
Severus frowned.
"What do I get in return?"
"Whatever you want, handsome," Pace said, smirking playfully. Severus felt his heart pump a little faster, and his mind drift off to somewhere embarrassing. He quickly attempted to shake off the thoughts before they could do any more embarrassing harm. He thought for a moment before coming up with a good idea.
"You know Wilkes," Severus stated, and Pace frowned.
"I'm his teammate; why?"
"If I do your task, then I want you to keep an eye on him," Severus stated. "I'm his biggest threat, and it would be nice to know whatever he's planning."
"Seems mutually beneficial for both of us," Thomas added. "If we do this silly little challenge, then we can keep tabs on Wilkes, and if he does anything."
"Why would you want to keep tabs on Wilkes?" Blackwell asked, raising her brows.
"It's no secret that he's got no love for us," Thomas said. "Sev and I would just like to know if he's got any nasty surprises for us coming up."
Pace muttered that the boys seemed relaxed at the notion, and Severus shrugged. Severus had already developed something of a game plan; the only problem was how he planned on smuggling the banner out once he was in the Gryffindor den. He would have to be fast—no more than five minutes—and a quick shrinking charm should be enough. Though Severus needed to think of a backup plan, he was sure it would not go as easily as plan A, and so he slowly worked on plan B.
Severus had snuck around Hogwarts many times since his first year, but for the first time ever, he was able to freely walk the halls of Hogwarts without trouble. Prefect duty meant that each prefect had to patrol the halls once a week, with each student being matched up with another from a different house. Severus had been lucky; he was placed with a Gryffindor. He had patrolled with Lily Evans for a while, discussing potions as they passed the time walking down the dark and empty halls of the school. Once their patrol had come to an end, Severus had offered to walk Lily back, which she accepted and thanked him for.
"Can I be honest?" Lily finally said as they walked up the flight of stairs leading towards Gryffindor Tower. "I used to think you were a jerk, but I guess you're not too bad."
"I'm touched," Severus said, smiling, and the girl seemed to look away.
"I'm serious," she muttered. "You're nothing like that Avery and Mulciber."
"That might be the best thing anyone has said to me," Severus said, smiling, and Lily laughed.
"It's just nice to, you know, be able to talk with a Slytherin and not be called that horrid word," Lily said softly. Severus peered down at the red-haired girl. Throughout the years, he had noticed that Muggle-borns had been getting targeted more. No doubt she had faced her fair share of hexes and curses flung her way just for existing.
"Blood purity is a bunch of bull crap," Severus stated. "Be proud that your family tree doesn't look like a family circle like these purebloods."
Evans let out another laugh, and Severus found himself enjoying the sound of her laughter. They switched topics, and he asked about Charms, and she offered to give him some pointers.
The conversation died out as they reached the portrait. Severus bid Lily goodnight before slowly walking back, his ears perking up as he heard the girl mumble the password. Severus didn't go far; walking down the stairs and turning the corner, he sat there for twenty minutes to ensure that Lily would not be in the common room when he entered. Severus knew the limited time he had, so he darted towards the portrait and mumbled the password to the Fat Lady. The portrait awoke before questioning who was there. Severus only replied with the password, and the Fat Lady glared before swinging open the entrance to the tunnel into Gryffindor.
The common room was everything Severus expected: flashy, with the house colors splashed on every conceivable inch of the room. Severus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he peered at the common room, his gaze falling upon a large Gryffindor banner that hung above the fireplace. It looked old but well-kept; it was made of red and gold fabric that matched the house, though it was slightly worn out. Severus pulled out his wand and aimed it at the banner; it shrank and fell to Severus's feet. Severus quickly picked it up but noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a piece of parchment.
The parchment was old, and on it was odd writing. Severus snatched the parchment and peered at the strange names. Opening it up, he found that it was a map of what seemed to be Hogwarts. Names were outlined on the map; the names of Filch and his cat appeared, drifting down the hall. Severus quickly folded the parchment and stuffed it into his robe pocket; he was sure that they would realize it was missing soon after they noticed the banner.
The walk back was as quiet as ever. A quick run-in with Filch had caused Severus some issues, but after explaining that he was indeed a prefect, Filch allowed him to make his way back to the dungeons with a simple warning. Severus entered the Slytherin common room with a wide smirk. He made his way back to his bed, where he stuffed the parchment under his pillow along with the shrunk banner.
"I can't believe you did it," Marcus muttered as the trio walked to breakfast the next morning, passing a group of Ravenclaws muttering as they made their way down to the Great Hall. Severus smirked as he walked into the hall, his eyes on the Gryffindor table and the distressed faces of the students. Sitting at their table, Severus nodded to Pace, and the girl responded with a smile. He had handed her the banner earlier in the morning before ensuring that she would keep her end of the bargain.
"Forget the ruddy banner. I can't believe you stole that map," Thomas said as they began to eat breakfast.
"I can't believe they had a map like this," Severus retorted. He didn't think those fools had it in them. The map was a genius idea, giving its user an outline of the school along with where everyone was.
"Explains a lot, though," Marcus added. "Like how they can always appear from nowhere; those little creeps were tracking everyone."
Severus had displayed the map earlier. They had run a quick test on its accuracy before determining whether they should destroy it. In the end, Severus had decided to keep hold of the map, a vital piece of information that could come in useful later. Thomas had warned that it could fall into the wrong hands, and Severus agreed but tucked the shrunk map between the pages of his potions book.
The boys switched topics quickly in order to prevent others from listening in; they began to discuss their upcoming Divinations class. Marcus joked that they might get caught if someone sees a vision in class, but Thomas only chuckled and muttered that Divination was a load of crap.
"I'll tell you what, lads. I think I see something in my tea leaves," Marcus muttered as he peered down at his cup.
"What is it?" Severus asked with an amused smirk and a raised brow.
"It says that this year will be our year."
Severus chuckled and shook his head before slowly rising from his seat. His eyes quickly drifted towards the Gryffindor table, where he met Evans's green eyes once more. Severus gave the girl a playful wink, and she smiled back.
"Nah," Severus said, turning back to his friends. "Nothing really changes."