Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.

He was acting strangely—twitching in his seat, refusing to make eye contact, and often muttering under his breath. Severus watched him, his eyes scanning him, and his ears attempting to catch whatever he was muttering. Finally, he observed as Marcus slapped down two cards, his expression shifting into confidence within seconds. Severus had suspected this. He noticed the edge of Marcus's mouth twitching earlier and had already made plans for this exact moment. Wasting no time, Severus slapped down his set of cards. Marcus's face fell, and Severus found great pleasure in sweeping the small bag of Galleons out of the other boy's hands.

"Ah, crap," Marcus muttered as he placed his head in his hands. "I should've seen that coming."

Severus tallied another win in his long line of victories. The boys had been spending their downtime in the library, where they often played cards to pass the time after studying. Severus had been unbeatable; his ability to read people while concealing himself was an unmatched skill that often ensured he could handle any situation that either of his friends threw at him during their card matches.

"Better luck next time, Adams," Severus chuckled as he pocketed his reward. The other boy sneered at him before shuffling the cards in his hands. The boys had begun to turn back to their textbooks when Thomas joined them. Severus peered at the boy, noticing that his usually neat uniform was a mess. His tie was done loosely, and his shirt was missing a couple of buttons.

"Where were you then?" Severus muttered, and Thomas shone a cheesy grin as he fixed his hair. In the days following Slytherin's victory over the Gryffindors, the snakes found themselves in an unusually rowdy mood. Thomas had found himself stuck in an odd situation.

"Uh... with Vance," Thomas muttered, and Marcus leaned over to the boy next to him.

"The Ravenclaw?" Severus asked with raised brows.

"Yup."

"Did you do... it?" he asked, and Thomas went red. The act of sex was nothing new at Hogwarts. Severus had noticed that by the time students reached their age, they'd sought it out. Among Slytherins, subtlety was the name of the game. The boys often bragged among themselves while ensuring information didn't travel far, though there were exceptions. During late fourth year, Anthony Avery proclaimed he had deflowered an innocent Hufflepuff girl. The news spread, and it was soon found out that the boy had lied; a disgraced Avery still suffers to this day.

"No, it was only snogging," Thomas started, and Marcus frowned.

"Lucky git," Marcus muttered. "I'm on the Quidditch team, yet girls seem to flock to you."

"It's 'cause you have no game," Severus added as he pulled out his old potions book.

"I have game," Marcus argued. "I have more game than you."

"Sev definitely has more game than you," Thomas said, causing Severus to nod and Marcus to glare.

"Great mates you are," Marcus grunted, and the other boys chuckled.

In all honesty, Severus was hopeless when it came to women. He lacked any of the natural social skills needed to court any girl within the walls of Hogwarts. During the third year, he had been invited to the Slug Club. He spent most of the week attempting to find a girl to take as his plus one, but in the end, he was forced to drag Marcus along.

"Look alive, lads! Looks like we have visitors," Thomas suddenly said as he peered past Severus. Marcus seemed to lighten up, and Severus turned to see why. A group of girls came walking into the library, and Severus noticed that among them was Jane.

Jane had spoken to Severus the day after their win. She muttered something about Wilkes and a very odd cabinet. Since then, Severus had avoided contact with Wilkes but always kept tabs on him using the odd piece of parchment he had stolen. Severus caught Jane's eye, and both nodded; he noticed the flash of concern in her dark eyes as she turned away. While Severus mused about greater issues, Marcus had taken the chance to approach the group of girls, and in a matter of minutes, he was back in his seat.

"You didn't actually do that, did you?" Thomas asked, amused, but the other boy grunted as he slouched in his chair.

"I don't want to talk about, "

James was stressed. Not only had Gryffindor lost to the filthy snakes a few days ago, but the Marauders had been robbed. At first, the boys thought they simply missed their map; Peter was the last user, and he was a known airhead among the group. But as days went by and the search became more frantic, it was evident that the map had been stolen. To make matters worse, Gryffindor had been disgraced once again when they found their house banner hanging, decorated in front of the Great Hall. The old banner that had hung in their common room for generations was found vandalized.

James groaned at his lunch. Beside him, Sirius was speaking to Remus and Peter about who he thought stole their map. James only partially listened but kept his eyes on the contents of his plate, but that changed once he heard her voice. Despite how bad things could get, James found warmth in seeing Lily. His musings about the red-haired girl obviously caught the attention of his friend, and Sirius nudged his arm.

"No time for that, Romeo," Sirius muttered.

James muttered an apology before forcing his eyes off the girl down the table. The discussion among the Marauders was about outlining suspects, a hard task since the constant pranks over the years had caused many enemies, both from within and outside their house. Sirius was sure that it was no one from Gryffindor, but Remus muttered that it did not narrow the list down. Potions had been the lesson after lunch, and James suggested that they could discuss the matter on the way, his eyes drifting to Lily as she rose to leave.

The boys had made their way towards the dungeons slowly, with Sirius and Remus discussing the issue while Peter eagerly listened in. They had been walking through the halls of the castle when a spell flew at them, hitting Peter's laces and causing them to become entangled, making the small boy fall. James turned to the snickers of Marcus Adams; behind him, Thomas Reed hid his smile, and Prince kept his nose firmly in his book.

"Careful there, mate," Marcus said in a mocking tone.

Prince's group continued walking. James glared as he watched them walk off, his jaw tightening at the thought of Adam's smug face. Throughout their school life, the Marauders had made many foes, but Prince's group seemed to focus on them the most. As if a cat playing with its prey, the Slytherin group seemed to enjoy messing specifically with the Marauders.

"That's it," James muttered as his jaw widened.

"That's what?" Remus asked as he helped Peter undo the jinx and get back onto his feet.

"It's them," James said, frowning. "If anyone would want to fuck with us, it would be those freaks,"

"I second that," Sirius grunted. He had been pacing after the attack, his hand clutching his wand tightly and his eyes flashing dangerously. Remus, on the other hand, gave a skeptical look, and while he didn't doubt the Slytherins being prime suspects, he shook his head.

"We have no proof," he muttered as they headed towards Potions.

"I'll get us proof and then punch Prince's smug face in," James muttered as the boys made their way through the cold, dingy dungeons.

Entering the potions classroom, the marauders were met by Slughorn, who ushered the class to settle down. The boys took their seats, and James's eyes fell upon her. She was sitting next to that filthy snake, and James clenched his fists when he saw her chuckle at something he had muttered.

Lily laughed at Severus's snarky comment about the topic of today's lesson. They were brewing a potion that aimed to suppress one's appetite. Severus muttered that Slughorn ought to take some to curb his desire for cakes. It was jovial, but it got her going, and once she started laughing, she couldn't stop.

"Oh, dear. Ms. Evans, are you alright?" Slughorn asked as he waddled towards their desk. The sight of the professor seemed to strengthen her laughing fits, and she began to go red.

"Forgive her, Professor," Severus said. "I told her a joke."

Slughorn nodded and went back to explaining the potion. In any other case, there might have been cause for him to deduct points, but the professor had a soft spot for his two best students.

"You alright?" Severus asked as she finally calmed down.

Whipping a tear from her eye, she nodded, and the duo set to work. They had gotten used to working alongside each other, and there was a pattern to their potion lesson. Lily would get the ingredients while Severus set up the equipment. They then began sorting through the process and while Lily peered down at her book, Severus seemed to dance to his own tune. Ignoring the text book, Severus began quickly crushing some black beans with the handle of his knife.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Lily muttered as she watched him then place the crushed beans into the simmering cauldron.

"The textbook suggests we place them in whole, but if you break them down, you can cut the brewing time by half while not impacting the quality."

Lily nodded. It made perfect sense, and she wondered why no one had come up with it before. She began stirring the cauldron while Severus turned to scribble notes in a tattered old notebook. As he had said, their potion was done much quicker than she expected, and Slughorn showered both of them with praise before awarding them twenty points each.

The remainder of the time in class was spent waiting for their classmates to finish. Lily spoke to Severus about her schedule and how she was looking forward to the Care of Magical Creatures class later.

"I've opted not to take that," Severus mentioned as he looked up from his notebook.

"Aw, how come?"

"Not too keen on getting kicked by a Hippogriff," Severus said, shrugging. "Besides, I'm taking Muggle Studies instead."

"Muggle Studies? You?" Lily's lips twitched up at the thought of Severus in the class.

"Yes. Me."

"You're probably the only Slytherin who's opted to take the lesson."

"Nah, there's a handful of us taking it," Severus mentioned. "Heard Slughorn was keen to get us involved, no doubt at the behest of Dumbledore."

Lily supposed that it made sense since Slytherin's dislike for all things non-magical was a fact. There were times Lily wondered why the headmaster tolerated the house. Would it not be simpler to abolish a house based on blood purity? Then again, she supposed doing so would cause a whole slew of new problems. So what could be done?

"Speaking of which," Severus snapped Lily out of her own head by nudging her. "I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Well...if...I mean if it's okay with you." Severus peered down. "Could you assist me with any assignments for Muggle Studies?"

"Of course," Lily beamed. "As long as you help me by showing me more neat potion techniques."

"Deal."

Rosier sat nervously at the back of potions class. His eyes darted through the room, and his palms felt sweaty. Beside him sat Avery, who was equally on edge as Rosier. Wilkes had summoned them on the night of Slytherin's victory, stating that it was an urgent Knights issue and that he expected them to appear. Contrary to many beliefs about Rosier and Avery's darkness, the duo were novices within the ranks of the Knights and had only been inducted at the end of their fourth year. The Knights had been a very prestigious collective of pure-blood heirs, founded during their lord's time within the castle.

The Knights had always been led by an elected leader, an heir who was chosen by the previous leader to continue the work of their lord within the walls of Hogwarts. Lucius Malfoy had passed the role onto Wilkes during their second year, stating that the boy showed the most promise within Slytherin and that he would keep in contact. And keep in contact he did.

The moment the boys entered the dark classroom on the night of Slytherin's victory, they were informed of Wilkes' contact with Lucius and their lord. Wilkes maintained a blank expression as he relayed the orders given to him, though his unease was evident in his eyes. Rosier glanced over at Prince and observed the boy working alongside the Mudblood, with Wilkes' voice echoing in the back of his mind.

"Lucius said that our Lord wants us to sway the bastard."

Severus Prince had nothing to his name. While he was a talented wizard with stunning grades and a cunning mind that would make Slytherin proud, there was no getting over the fact that he was tainted—the disgusting product of a pureblood heiress not knowing her role. Rosier had known the boy for years, and while growing a mild sense of respect for his skills, he could not see the appeal that his Lord could. Rosier kept his eyes on Severus throughout the potion lesson, watching as Slughorn wrapped the lesson up and congratulated Prince and the mudblood on their potion once again. The fat wizard seemed to take a strong liking towards the bastard. In fact, it seemed most of the authority within Hogwarts were fairly friendly with the Slytherin. He was a model student, after all.

Post-lesson, Rosier and Avery made their way down towards their common room. Entering the fairly quiet halls of the dungeon, the duo was met with a cluster of Slytherin students loitering. The faces were all too familiar to Rosier; the group was the younger filth that had ended up within the house of Slytherin. It seemed that as the years passed, more and more filth seeped into the house, and much like filth, they seemed to gather together to cause a greater issue. Slytherin was, by all means, a divided house since Rosier's first year. With more mudbloods and half-bloods came the dwindling of pureblood power within the house. Rosier peered over at the loiterers and noticed a second-year with dirty blond hair muttering something about a Muggle sport, and Rosier felt his skin crawl as the mudblood laughed among his group.

Entering the common room provided some refuge; the filth had yet to dominate the space, and Rosier felt a sense of ease when he relaxed among his kind. Wilkes had been reading a book on dark arts when the boys entered and placed the book down when Rosier disturbed him.

"Rosier," Wilkes said coldly, "please refrain from making noise. This is a common room and not a zoo."

"From the looks of it, it will be soon," Rosier muttered, and Wilkes frowned but chose not to inquire further, instead tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Tell me, Rosier, have you seen Prince?" Wilkes asked, and Rosier shrugged.

"We saw him in the lesson, but we didn't follow him or anything," Rosier said. "Thought it would be better if he came to us. I mean, he has to come down sooner or later."

Wilkes did not seem all that reassured by the comment. The boy leaned back in his chair as he ran his hands through his slick black hair. Rosier watched as Wilkes seemed to compose himself before turning back to him.

"Listen, Rosier, I want you to keep an eye on Prince," Wilkes said. "Analyze his every move and report any vital piece of information back to me."

"You want me to collect information on him to aid in the task," Rosier pointed out, and Wilkes gave a small nod.

"Information is key. We know some key things about him, but if we had a little more, we could use it as a weapon," Wilkes added.

"Blackmail?" Avery finally chimed in, his eyes peering at Wilkes with an uneasy gaze.

"No, that would not work on the likes of Prince," Wilkes said. "More like an incentive; make him believe that what he is doing is for his benefit."

Rosier sat back in his chair and fell silent. His eyes peered over the flames within the Slytherin fireplace, watching as the flames danced while his mind processed Wilkes' words. The boy certainly had a key point. It would be easy to sway an individual onto a system if they thought it was beneficial to themselves and those they held dear. Rosier had no doubt that Prince was a sentimental fool; he saw how he looked at the filthy half-blood and mudblood he called friends, as well as how hostile he would get toward those who insulted his mother. Rosier rubbed his nose, remembering a moment in third year when the bastard had broken his nose after Rosier called his mother a "Muggle fucking whore." Rosier muttered that he would carry out the task for Wilkes as he frowned. Avery seemed to shift beside him before finally muttering that he would aid him.

Cokeworth was as grim as she remembered. The dark clouds swirled around the small industrial town, and the sky matched the grim house that sat upon the dingy streets. However, time had changed key aspects of the town. The town center, which was home to many local businesses, was now filled with the common Muggle stores Eileen would see in London. There also seemed to be a shift in the people living within the small town, with more individuals being left out of work due to the state of business, and thus Eileen had noted twice as many homeless people since the last time she was here. Eileen peered out of the coffee shop window and watched the people of Cokeworth trudging through the streets. She found some amusement in how similar they were to the miserable people in Knockturn Alley. Maybe she was just drawn to dingy places.

"A refill, madam?" a voice called out, and Eileen turned to see a lanky boy with shaggy, messy brown hair smile down at her. The boy wore a green apron over a white shirt; his jeans were black, and his shoes were scruffy trainers. Hanging off his apron was a small name tag that read "Simeon."

"Sure. Thank you," Eileen muttered, and the boy refilled her cup of coffee before smiling and walking off. Eileen watched him walk away before peering out the window once again. She wondered why she had come to this town. She had not been sure what made her come to the town, and at first, she chalked it up to wanting to find something she had lost. She sipped her coffee as she thought back to her youth.

By all standards, Eileen had a good childhood. Her mother had been clingy to her precious daughter, while her father was more distant but would not shy away from displaying his love. Eileen was spoiled rotten growing up within the walls of Prince Manor, with whatever she wanted at her feet within seconds. Eileen was sure that if she met her younger self, she would despise the bratty child, but she could not blame her. Eileen Ulpia Prince was an only child from a very old Italian pureblood family, a family that, despite having immigrated to the British Isles with the Romans, had chosen to uphold their ancient blood. The house refused to be placed alongside the 28, often stating that their line was far beyond that of either the Blacks or the Malfoys. Eileen had been born into a proud house and thus became much like her parents.

Hogwarts didn't change that. Slytherin was simply another playground for a young Eileen. She had most people wrapped around her finger with her charm and wit. Though it seemed Eileen had everything within her reach, the girl soon found herself growing bored, and thus the seeds of rebellion were sown within the walls of Hogwarts. Eileen had been set to marry a member of the Black family in a matrilineal marriage, all for the sake of ensuring the continued existence of House Prince. Eileen took a sip as she remembered the day she ran away from home, having had a severe argument with her father about the issue and declaring that she would not commit to his plans. Eileen peered up as the dark clouds began to break, a small ray seeming to shine down upon the small town, and Eileen mused on the summer that she spent in Cokeworth.

Eileen had snatched enough money from her parents to live and soon found herself in Cokeworth. Ironically, she sat in the same coffee shop at this very moment. She spent the summer living in a Muggle hotel, her days spent wandering the streets while her nights were spent observing the small town light up. It had been on one of those many summer nights that she met him. Severus shared much with his father: his height, facial structure, and most notably, his nose. But Eileen could only remember a blurry image of the man in her mind, and the harder she tried to remember him or his name, the harder it became. She sighed as she peered down into her cup of coffee. Maybe she was here to find a sense of closure, to at least know the man who fathered her child. So when the time came, she could tell her little boy something—anything—about his father.

Eileen finished off her drink and walked over to the counter, where she handed some money to an old lady. The lady thanked her before turning and calling out.

"Snape!"

Eileen watched as the boy who refilled her cup came running in. She peered at him; he seemed young, no older than her Severus. She watched the boy with keen interest for a minute before turning on her heels and walking out of the small coffee shop. She looked up into the sky once more and watched as more clouds began to part. Eileen smiled before quickly making her way toward an alleyway, where she disapparated with a small crack.